DeBord to relocate biz,
erect new sports facility
Jon DeBord is expanding his strike zone.
The owner of Kewanee Therapy and Rehabilitation Service, DeBord, a physical therapist and athletic trainer, is in the process of moving his therapy practice to a new location, and building a new sports training facility next to it.
The way was cleared for DeBord’s plan after the city recently approved his application to rezone the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church at 10th and Main streets, which he purchased to serve as the new location for his offices, now located at 1258 W. South St.
A large parking lot behind the church will be the site of a 15,000-square-foot pole building that will have batting cages and practice areas for area athletes.
DeBord said the church building is ideal for his growing business.
“We needed to expand the clinic because we were pretty much maxed out there,” he said. “We wanted to find a place that could combine both (facilities). The church property was just ideal.”
DeBord is excited about the new office space, which will include the business’s fitness and workout facility. The new facility will allow members 24-hour access.
But he’s really excited about the sports facility, which also is cramped for space at its current location. The current location is housed in a building at 2nd Street and Burr Boulevard that used to be the Save A Lot grocery store,
The new building will increase ceiling height by 6 feet to 18 feet, and allow more room for athletes to practice hitting, fielding or soccer footwork.
DeBord said he never dreamed he would be building such a facility, but the success of the current space made him believe it could happen.
“I didn’t have a vision of what it could be,” he said of the facility, currently a row of four batting cages and space for fielding practice. “It started it because my kids always wanted a place to play catch in the winter. It’s been amazing to see it grow.”
But it was more than just his kids clamoring for an “anytime” place to practice baseball and softball.
Not long after opening, DeBord started seeing a flood of area athletes, coaches and teams asking to use the facility in the off-season. It’s also used in some cases by patients and local minor-league ballplayers, and last year it hosted a Little All-Star camp for 3- to 7-year-olds.
He said he already is thinking of new ways to utilize the facility throughout the year, rather than just as an off-season spot.
“We have to find ways to utilize this facility,” he said.
He said he’s not looking to make a profit, but would like to break even on the project. He said he sees the facility partly as a service to the community, as well as a way to create a synergy with his physical therapy business.
“It’s definitely within our community values and community goals,” he said.
DeBord said the current building has served its purpose, noting it was difficult initially to find a building that was large enough and didn’t have support poles running throughout. When he first started renovation work, the old grocery’s stores coolers were in the way.
“It was still set up like a grocery store,” he said, “but we leased it because we were struggling to find a place.”
He said he started the sports facility business with some trepidation, but he’s glad he did.
“I literally knew nothing about this business,” he said. “It’s a world I didn’t even know existed. I had no idea if it would catch on or not.”
Plans for the church building’s renovation and some demolition work has already started, with construction expected sometime in April or May. The sports facility building is expected to start being erected by Fall.
DeBord is a 1992 graduate of Kewanee High School and went to college at Bradley University. He worked elsewhere for a few years after college, and in 1999 moved back to Kewanee. He started his practice in 2004.