Dr. Martha Collins, the longtime owner of Sunshine Valley Family Chiropractic in Osoyoos, has announced she will be retiring after a 24-year career as a chiropractor. Collins has sold her business to recent college graduates Brittany Morris and Johnny Cheong, who officially took over as the new owners on Sept. 1. (Keith Lacey photo)
After a rewarding 24-year career as a chiropractor – including the last 11 as the proud owner of the Sunshine Valley Family Chiropractic – Dr. Martha Collins is calling it quits.
Collins, who is the wife of longtime Osoyoos mayor Stu Wells, has sold her business to two recent graduates from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto.
Brittany Morris, who is originally from Pembroke, Ont. and Johnny Cheong, who is from Toronto, officially took over as the new owners of Sunshine Valley last Friday.
Morris, 26, and Cheong, 28, met in college and are in a relationship as well as business partners.
Collins said she announced to her family and friends two years ago that she would enter retirement in the summer of 2017, but wasn’t willing to sell her business until she found the right people.
“In my heart, I know these two are the right people,” she said.
Collins said running a busy chiropractic office is exceptionally rewarding, but very physically draining and she’s had enough after 24 years in the industry.
“It’s just time,” she said. “My hands are getting sore and my legs are getting sore. It’s time.”
Since graduating from college in May, Morris and Cheong decided they wanted to begin their careers in the Okanagan Valley and were looking for opportunities for the past several months.
“We were looking around Kelowna and south towards Osoyoos … we really wanted to be in the Okanagan,” she said. “We’re like everyone else … we love the sunshine and great weather and everyone we know who had been here, just loved it.”
Cheong had found a placement with a chiropractor in Penticton and Morris joined him three weeks later and they knew then and there that they wanted to live and work in the South Okanagan.
When they discovered Collins was contemplating retirement, they contacted her and they met on numerous occasions before agreeing to purchase the business.
“We met with Martha and spent a few days checking things out,” said Morris. “A couple of weeks ago after a few glasses of wine and a very long discussion, we signed the deal.”
Cheong said being able to work in Osoyoos is almost too good to be true.
“We both wanted to live somewhere that we didn’t want to take a vacation from,” he said. “This is a great opportunity for both of us and this is just an amazing place to live so we’re pretty happy.”
Cheong and Morris are both outdoor and sports lovers and living in Osoyoos will allow them to pursue their favourite hobbies when they’re not working.
“We’re both very active … and love water sports, golf, hiking, skiing and I used to be a competitive runner and am looking at getting back into that,” said Morris.
Collins said she will spend the next three weeks – her official last day on the job will be Sept. 29 – introducing her loyal clients to Morris and Cheong.
She is very confident her clientele are going to be pleased to have these two talented and enthusiastic people taking over the business.
“I really wanted to find someone that I knew I could trust to work with my clients and properly take care of everything,” she said. “I feel deep inside that I can really trust these two and I know in my heart that all of my clients will be well taken care of.”
Cheong said there have been many advances in chiropractic science over the years and he and Morris are looking forward to this exciting business venture.
“The core principles haven’t changed, but there is much more research and evidence-based material out there,” he said. “There’s a better understanding of how the human body works and functions and we will be implementing the latest chiropractic techniques to our clients.”
Cheong and Morris say they plan on settling down in Osoyoos and living here for many years to come.
Collins said she’s looking forward to retirement.
“I want to get back into running like I used to and I want to play more golf,” she said. “I also want to spend more time with my husband and my dog and my cat. I know I will stay very busy.”
Collins said she has enjoyed every day on the job since she first moved here more than a decade ago from Ontario.
“It has been fantastic,” she said. “This is a wonderful community to live in and I’ve met some wonderful people at this clinic. I will be around for the next three weeks to say goodbye and let my clients know these two young people are going to step in and take care of all of their needs.”
For more information you can contact Cheong or Morris at sunshinevalleychiropractic.com or call 250-495-4810.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
