Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By J.R. TIDWELL / Editor

Cornerstone Fitness & Wellness has been recognized as the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce business of the month for September.

Representatives from the Chamber joined Cornerstone employees for a small ceremony on Sept. 4 to present the fitness and wellness center with the accompanying sign the business may proudly show throughout the month.

“Obviously, we were excited to be named the business of the month,” said Cornerstone co-owner Barry Baker. “It was great to see everyone come out and celebrate with us. We turned 19 years old on Sept. 1. This is a great moment for us.”

Cornerstone caters to both patrons looking for a gym for a simple workout as well as those who need rehabilitation for an injury.

They also have programs for older citizens and a youth flag football league for both boys and girls.

“We do rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy,” Baker said. “We have the only indoor pool in the county. We do a lot of pool therapy and aquatic classes. It is great for patients who have lower extremity problems, like knee or back problems. We also use it for patients arthritis, shoulder injuries and other patients.

“We have the fitness center. We have a lot of people who just want to come in and work out, or maybe they are former patients and they want to continue doing things here.”

Fitness Director Lesia Childress said she can confirm to the quality of the staff at Cornerstone, having been a patron there herself.

“We are concerned not just on being fit, but on your overall health and well-being,” she said. “I can attest to the therapists we have here. I have been in therapy a lot here, and they are some of the best. They have put my body back together a good bit.”

Baker said it is that quality staff that has kept Cornerstone in business these 19 years.

“You can build the greatest building in the world, have the nicest facility and the greatest equipment, but if patients and customers don’t find great staff who are knowledgeable and care about them when they walk through the door, then they are not going to come back,” he said.

“I always tell our employees that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, and I believe that. We have been blessed with a nice facility, but we have great people, and that’s what has kept us in business.