In the early 80’s a young newlywed was hired as a Chiropractic Assistant by one of the fastest growing Chiropractors in New York. Together they attended practice building seminars presented by the professions top mentors and management consultants. They were committed to making the necessary changes as suggested by their consultants, only to find that their working environment was prohibiting their growth.

They went to seminars yearning to “Race The Indianapolis 500 of Chiropractic” but were left driving an old Volkswagen Beetle. While able to get around the track, they were never able to serve their patients at the higher level that they were being taught. The young CA suggested that her husband, then a contractor, could perhaps, with her guidance and knowledge of the profession, build the ultimate chiropractic working environment.

Shortly after the remodel was complete the young CA gave birth to her first child. It was not long after that her son was stricken with an illness that baffled the Medical community. After months of tests, the cause of this life-threatening illness was eventually found. The medical model told her and her husband that time was short and that there wasn’t much hope. Guided by their friend, her boss, their Chiropractor, they fought on and after months of intense obstacles, Chiropractic played a key roll in saving his life. As of today, that was over 30 years ago . If it were not for the Chiropractic adjustments he received and the basic Chiropractic philosophy of looking for the cause of the disease, and not just treating or covering up the symptom, the outcome would have had grim results. That was the moment that she and her husband knew that they had to give back to the profession that had given so much to them. This sounds like a typical Chiropractic story but...................................

THIS IS THE TRUE LIFE STORY OF JEANNE AND GLEN DAVID, CO-FOUNDERS OF DAVLEN

Their responsibility became clear:

Their first thought was to become chiropractors themselves so they can help hundreds of patients themselves. They quickly realized that rather than becoming Chiropractors, they could use their unique talent and insight to help other Chiropractors grow their practice. By doing so, they would be able to help hundreds of Doctors serve hundreds of patients in a manner that would create geometrically different results. Davlen ( a blend of their last and first names) was created with a vision to create beautiful, highly efficient working environments so Chiropractors would be able to attract, convert and educate more patients toward a healthier lifestyle. By helping hundreds of other Chiropractors grow their practices, we would ensure that Chiropractic would be available for hundreds, if not thousands of additional young families striving to live a healthy lifestyle. Their vision continued to grow even larger.

A BUSINESS IS BORN

As many small businesses do, our beginnings were humble and conservative. One Chiropractor saw the work we did and they hired us, they told two friends who hired us and so the story went for over 32 years.  We were blessed with having created a niche business that began to bloom. At an early stage, we were taught to listen with big ears and watch with big eyes, which enlightened us to the unique properties and common issues that were found in the Chiropractic profession. We soon saw that Chiropractors shared the same needs and values but to date, no one recognized that the entire profession could benefit from others in similar situations.

We saw a golden opportunity and decided create a business exclusively to serve Chiropractic. If this was going to work to its fullest, we were not going to build houses, outfit kitchens or build entertainment centers. Every design we created, every piece of furnishings we would create were purpose driven to helping Chiropractors do what they do in the most efficient manner. Certainly it would restrict our potential in the beginning, but if we focused on client satisfaction, our clients would be our best salespeople.

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Back then, due to my lack of knowledge of Chiropractic, instead of just accepting what someone thought they needed, I insisted on knowing “Why”. Was it a clinical necessity, a business concept, or did they do things because that is all they knew? After time, we were able to take this knowledge and shed new light on potential solutions without any preconceived notions. We recognized that while Chiropractic could follow what worked for the medical model, the uniqueness of the profession would be best served with unique solutions. We spent years acquiring and refining specialized solutions and concepts could be developed in order to produce Chiropractic centered results. We spent years learning and understanding how and why Chiropractic did not have the same requirements of a Medical practice. The differences in philosophies, strategies and protocols mandated thinking differently and with our dedication to serve the profession to its highest level, we knew that a unique approach should be followed. While what works for them could work for Chiropractic, we quickly realized that there were better ways, much better ways.

We also recognized that unlike the allopathic model, Chiropractic as a profession has the desire to treat their practice like a fine tuned business. As any successful business knows, a great product needs a great delivery system. We realized that the entire profession had a common goal in which the doctor could see high volumes of patients in minimal spaces with minimal number of staff yielding great results for the patients and high profitability for the doctor. The profession also needed a simplified way to create consistent and predictable results. We learned from the leaders in the profession what worked for them and developed design protocols that were unique to the profession.

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CREATING SYSTEMATIZED SOLUTIONS

In the 90’s, we studied under Michael Gerber, author of “The E Myth” which we feel is a “Must Read” for every Chiropractor. Understanding how systems, not people run a business (or practice), people run those systems, the owner doctor can use the least expensive, qualified person to run those systems and the patients will receive the same, consistent and predictable results. This was monumental to allowing some of our clients to be able to open their own “mini-franchise” of 3,4 and even 27 individual practices while loving what they do.

We also used E-myth philosophies to run our business which became the tipping point of the company. By realizing that instead of creating individual, unique workplaces, both our clients and our business would benefit from being able to create tried and proven solutions that would create consistent and predictable results.  It was clear that this systematization worked for both design elements and furnishing systems as well. Our modular approach was born.

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2,4 AND 6,000 STEPS TO BE TRULY MODULAR

Our design fabrication facilities quickly grew from 2,000 into 4,000 square feet. In late night discussions with several clients turned friends, at a New York Chiropractic Councils convention we brainstormed how Davlen may be able to expand beyond the New York Tri state area. Ideas went around that it would be great if we were able to make things "Doctor Proof". While that was tongue in cheek, it was an idea worth investigating. Could we build our systems in a manner that would allow even a doctor to be able to add to them, rearrange them relocate them as needed.

We looked back at the early construction years where Glen was building Modular homes around long island. As a consumer, all i had to do was pour a foundation, order a home and it would arrive by truck and be reassembled in a matter of hours. We realized that this was not so far fetched.

Davlen soon implemented a modular concept to our fabrication process. In order to expand upon our goals of simplicity to replicate our proprietary concepts, we had to make a major investment into Cad / Cam manufacturing. Cad portion of Cad/Cam manufacturing uses computer-based software to design parts and assemblies. The Cam (Computer Aided Manufacturing) sends this digital information to machining centers throughout our shop which actually machines all of the parts needed. The accuracy of this technology ensures fit, function and repeatability. 

This venture into technology lessened mistakes and eliminated any “Artistic license” of an employee. We were then free to add more square footage, so we once again took over the adjoining space and quickly grew into 6,000 square feet. From there, we entertained building our own facility  (after all, we did this for others, why not for our self) but in order to maintain focus and to keep up with the growing demands of Chiropractic, we decided to find a building that only required minor modifications. So in 2005, we ventured into 12,000 square feet.

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FREEDOM AWAITS

Cad Cam technologies allowed us to think outside the box. No longer did we have to stick to traditionally designed straight edged cabinetry. This new technology allowed us to create unique shapes and simplified assembly techniques that would not have been cost-effectively possible without it.

We were able to create new design concepts and patient flow models as well as workplace modules to keep up with the changing times, techniques and technologies of the profession. We were able to develop, test and refine unheard of concepts exclusively to simplify the daily tasks that the doctor and their staff and incorporate the solutions into tried and proven modules. By doing so, our design team could then mix and match these concepts into an assembly to fit any size or shaped office.  

As a new task or piece of equipment came out, our design team would study the intended use and operations and create a state of the art module that looked and functioned to the highest level. As an example, when we first met with CLA in the early years of the Insight Subluxation station, Dr. Gentempo and his team wanted to create a station that had a unique appearance so when a doctor was at a screening, it did not look like the doctor was a computer salesman. It had to have an interesting look while preserving the CLA brand. He wanted something to stand out while maintaining brand recognition. Countless hours were spent understanding how the system was designed to function. We began by developing prototypes and refining the look and function. It had to be easy to use, simplify the function of the tests both now and into the future (once the 5 technologies were introduced) and had to simply break down to simplify the doctor's ability to transport it to a screening in the trunk of a car.

Since many of you already have our system, you can understand what went into its creation.

Our next milestone was during the Hay Day of Chiropractic seminars. We were invited to play at 3 different conferences in a big way. We created a portable, yes portable, 2,000 square foot, fully functional office that we would set up in an expo hall to highlight the office of the future. While extremely ambitious and exciting, we were faced with extreme deadlines for set up and disassembly. Once again the modular approach to our systems simplified our ability to meet the restrictions of the different venues. Our team of 5 had to fully assemble and outfit a 2,000 square foot booth in the middle of the Walt Disneyworld Dolphin hotels Expo hall, with all of the latest and greatest that Chiropractic had to offer. We contacted the cutting edge companies and vendors to participate in this unique opportunity. We included concepts like E H R, digital Xray and various forms of decompression. 

The latest in patient education, orthotics and various support products and supplements had to be included. Everything had to fully function including the background music, patient education monitors, and even the plants had to be watered before the “Unveil”. The only thing we couldn’t do was power up the X-ray (for obvious reasons). The restriction is that we only had 10 hours in which to complete this task and immediately upon completion, video crews were on site to “Launch” the conferences from the halls of a Chiropractic office that a few hours earlier were still inside a tractor trailer.  While exhausted at the end, we packed it up in a tractor trailer and brought it back to our facilities. That was replicated 2 more times at the FCA and at Parker in the Las Vegas Hilton hotel.

Shortly thereafter, the downturn of 2007 and 2008 hit hard, sending fear through the profession. Luckily that fear only lasted all of a few months and we were inundated with doctors that were growing beyond expectations. Yes, there were concerns, but our clients found that their patients needed Chiropractic care more than ever and they had to be able to do more in less space and in less time and we had the answers.  We had made a name for ourselves in being able to pack 21 pounds of Chiropractic into a 5-pound office and now, more than ever were the space and time savings benefits of our products and services more needed. We were able to allow our clients treat geometrically more patients in the same amount of space, or facilitated their ability to see the same amount of patients in far less space, with far less overhead than ever thought possible.

As years pass we continue to develop cutting-edge solutions that produce the results that Chiropractic needs. Our team is constantly creating new products and services that allow evolving into the practice of their dreams.

As 2010 came around, we began to read the handwriting on the wall and quickly realized that the 12,000 square feet that we thought would be more than enough to handle the needs of the profession would quickly leave us at a disadvantage.  Once again, we went to the dream room ( another Michael Gerber concept) so our team could think outside the box. We quickly realized that we would best be able to serve the profession if we were outside of the restrictions of Long Island New York.  

Square footage was more readily available, reduced traffic would simplify shipping of our products around the world but we had to find a location that had a better labor pool. North Carolina seemed to be a logical location. It was beyond the traffic and expense of the big cities and had a vast labor pool available due to the shrinking of what used to be the furniture manufacturing capital of the US

So in 2012, we packed up families, homes, and factory and relocated them all to what is now a state-of-the-art 20,000 square foot center created exclusively for Chiropractic facility development..

GOING GREEN IN THE USA

We do our best to source our materials from the USA and are proud to say that our products are proudly designed and built right here in the USA. In support of our mission for this country to lead a healthier lifestyle, we have taken steps within our factory and in our manufacturing processes to support that.

We invested in specialized Machinery that allows us to reduce VOC’s during the lamination process for the health of our employees as well as in our client's offices.

To reduce energy consumption, we purchased high-efficiency air compressors and are transforming our factory to energy-saving LED lighting. We strive to use renewable resources whenever possible. We have even invested in zero gravity material handling solutions. Many in the furnishing industry even took notice of an innovative concept that Nick, our production manager developed. He custom fabricated oversized turntables to maximize productivity while reducing the stress and strain on our employees.

A TREE GROWS AS STRONG AS ITS ROOTS WILL ALLOW.

Today, after creating World Class Chiropractic offices for over five thousand Chiropractors around the world, we are humbled to realize that we have not scratched the surface of what the profession needs. Davlen is proud to know that the same beliefs, values, and purpose that helped us create this business almost 30 years ago are still deeply ingrained in our day to day systems, strategies and values.

We are blessed with having the next generation of Davids’ with the company as key players in the sales and production parts of the business. Perhaps it was the adjustments that they each received right after they were born, or it was the constant exposure to the amazing lifestyle that Chiropractic has brought to them. What I do know for sure is that the same values that started this business almost 30 years ago will be available for the next generation of Chiropractic as well. Seeing that our grandchildren have also been adjusted right after they were born means that the third generation may be a decade or 2 around the corner. I can only keep my fingers crossed.

Jeanne and I take pride in knowing that Davlen is large enough to ensure fit, function and durability of our products but small enough to be able to custom tailor our tried and proven concepts to fit the uniqueness of a profession that we all know and love. Being a family owned and operated company we ensure caring service to each and every one of our clients.

Our circumstances molded our purpose which began our Journey with this amazing profession called Chiropractic. I am proud to know that not only have we helped our clients serve not hundreds, but hundreds of thousands, if not millions of patients achieve a healthier life through Chiropractic.

     This is our story.

This is our purpose,

    We welcome you to the Davlen Family.

Creating World Class Chiropractic.

Glen ,  Jeanne and Nick David