Structural Elements pitches founder-built clinic model to multi-unit operators

Structural Elements is looking for experienced multi-unit operators to take its orthopedic-wellness clinic model into its next phase of growth, positioning a founder-built treatment business as a platform for owners who do not need a clinical background.

The Hagerstown, Maryland brand says its model separates clinic ownership from care delivery. Clinic owners run the premises, scheduling, billing and marketing, while licensed providers can operate their own practices within a location under three-year micro-franchise agreements.

Founder and chief executive Douglas Bertram said the model has been shaped over more than a decade in practice. The company has franchised since 2016; its flagship clinic opened in 2013, and it says its network currently spans Maryland and Wisconsin with 11 micro-franchise practice owners.

That ownership split is central to the growth proposition. Structural Elements says a clinic owner earns from provider space fees, recovery memberships, retail, workshops and corporate-wellness programs, while providers operate as invested practice owners rather than hourly staff.

The company is targeting multi-brand, multi-unit operators with business and operations experience. It says its clinics generally occupy 5,000 to 7,000 square feet and can sit alongside salon-suite or urgent-care portfolios. Structural Elements is currently registered to offer franchises in Maryland, Wisconsin and Florida, with near-term growth targeted in Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

For franchise operators, the question is less about whether wellness is a growth category than whether the ownership structure can sustain consistent provider recruitment and clinic utilisation. Structural Elements is making that structure its point of difference as it pursues a longer-term goal of 125 clinics.