Senior VP of University Affairs Gretchen Jameson spent an afternoon at alumnus Ben Quist’s Grafton gym.
On a bone-chilling Wisconsin winter afternoon, bundling up to hit the gym holds little appeal. But step inside the Grafton location of Form & Fitness and you quickly warm up—and not only because your muscles get a good stretch.
Here, three-time alumnus, founder and owner Ben Quist, offers clients an oasis for mind, body, and spirit, a fitting model given his many years studying in the School of Health Sciences at Concordia University Wisconsin. Ben’s three degrees at CUW include a Bachelor of Science (’99), a Master of Science in Physical Therapy (’00), and a Doctor of Physical Therapy (’04).
I met up with Ben for a tour, a talk, and a little workout. It’s not every day that I encounter a physical therapist who, thanks to his Christian higher education, has read the entire Old and New Testaments. And while Ben’s business is the art of physical healing, his approach stems from a whole-person perspective nurtured during his years on campus.
“When I started at Concordia, I did not have a strong faith. I was required to take three religion classes and remember being annoyed,” Ben recalls. “I credit those classes as a starting point in creating a curiosity that led to a strong Christian faith, which has been a wonderful blessing in my life.”
Ben Quist and Gretchen Jameson take a break from working out.
Ben always knew he wanted a career in fitness, and CUW’s well-regarded program was certainly a draw to this Milwaukee native, but it was the close-knit community that engaged Ben and kept him coming back for his many years of undergraduate and graduate education.
“At Concordia,” Ben explains, “I learned that hard work and perseverance pays off. When I started college, I was not a stellar student. Learning about the physical therapy program sparked my desire, and led to many long nights of studying and forgoing other activities in pursuit of being accepted into the professional program.”
CUW’s state-of-the-art physical therapy programs are robust, reaching all the way through the doctoral level (DPT). And graduates are in demand. For the past three years, our DPT students have achieved a 100 percent pass rate.
Ben helps each client strengthen the whole self: “It is a gift to be a part of a business that helps people achieve both positive physical results and also mental, social, and psychological benefits. We support a great exercise experience for our clients that improves their day and, in most cases, their life.”
In the end, for Ben it’s all about family. He’s working hard to provide quality, excellent care to his neighbors, while building up a business that can stay in the family. As a Concordian, that made sense to me. Faith. Fitness. Family: a winning set, worthy of many repetitions.
It is a gift to be a part of a business that helps people achieve both positive physical results and also mental, social, and psychological benefits. Ben Quist, DPT (’04)
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the spring 2017 issue of Concordian, the official magazine of Concordia University Wisconsin. View a PDF version of the magazine here.
Columnist Note: Our mission to develop students in mind, body, and spirit for lives of service to Christ is not complete until Concordians go out and do just that. It is a mission that we instill and nurture in every student, across every degree program. And through the work of more than 31,000 living alumni, Concordia University daily makes its global mission impact. This column is an opportunity to celebrate a few snapshots of the diverse lives our graduates are blessed to lead. (Gretchen Jameson, senior vice president of University Affairs)
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