First Settlement Physical Therapy

Outpatient Physical Therapy Servicesfspt.org

First Settlement Physical Therapy is a family-owned outpatient physical therapy practice operating approximately 48 clinics across Ohio and West Virginia, serving individual patients and employer occupational health clients with services including orthopedics, neurological rehab, women's health, pediatrics, and speech therapy.

Company typePrivate
Founded1999
HeadquartersParkersburg, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

What First Settlement Physical Therapy does

First Settlement Physical Therapy (FSPT) is a privately held, family-owned outpatient physical therapy practice founded in 1999 in Marietta, Ohio — the Northwest Territory's first settlement, which inspired the company name. The firm is owned by Hema Hargus and operated with her husband Phil, son Simon, and daughter-in-law Lisa Hargus, all serving as co-owners. It has grown from a single Marietta clinic to approximately 48 locations across Ohio (19) and West Virginia (29), making it the dominant PT provider in the Mid-Ohio Valley region.

The company delivers a comprehensive suite of rehabilitation services across 14 specialty programs, including aquatic therapy (92°F warm water pool), dry needling, general orthopedics, hand therapy (CHT-certified), neurological rehabilitation (including LSVT Big for Parkinson's), occupational health, senior health, speech-language pathology, sports medicine, vestibular/vertigo therapy, women's health/pelvic floor, fall prevention, back pain treatment, and pediatric physical therapy at a dedicated Parkersburg location. Technology is limited to operational SaaS — Raintree for the patient portal and billing, StoreMapper for clinic locator, Wufoo for intake forms — with no proprietary clinical software, AI, or tele-health platform. Core delivery relies on licensed therapists (including board-certified CHTs and OCS-credentialed clinicians) providing hour-long one-on-one sessions, with clinical affiliations across 30+ universities supporting a steady student rotation pipeline.

Revenue is generated via fee-for-service outpatient PT billed to insurance or self-pay under standard transaction-fee mechanics, supplemented by a B2B occupational health channel serving employers with pre-employment evaluations, work conditioning, work hardening, functional capacity evaluations, and return-to-work programs. Patients access care either through healthcare provider referrals or via Direct Access self-referral permitted under Ohio and West Virginia law, with same-day scheduling and no waitlist. Marketing is largely local — Google Business listings, the corporate website, and TV commercials on regional stations like WTAP — targeting a fragmented base of individual consumers and local employer accounts. The company is family-controlled with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or parent organization, and operates exclusively within Ohio and West Virginia.

First Settlement Physical Therapy firmographics

Firmographics

Name: First Settlement Physical Therapy
Legal name: First Settlement Physical Therapy, Inc.
Website: https://fspt.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1999
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: First Settlement Physical Therapy is a family-owned outpatient physical therapy practice operating approximately 48 clinics across Ohio and West Virginia, serving individual patients and employer occupational health clients with services including orthopedics, neurological rehab, women's health, pediatrics, and speech therapy.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

First Settlement Physical Therapy industry classification

Industry

Product category: Outpatient Physical Therapy Services
NAICS: Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134)
SIC: Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000)
akta.pro primary industry: Outpatient Rehabilitation & Physical/Occupational/Speech Therapy Centers (HLAFABAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Outpatient Physical Therapy (PT) Clinics (HLADAJAD)

Keywords

Outpatient physical therapy
Occupational health services
Manual therapy treatment
Sports medicine rehabilitation
Neurological rehabilitation services

Where First Settlement Physical Therapy is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Parkersburg
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices49 records

Markets served

First Settlement Physical Therapy business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Outpatient Physical Therapy Services: Fee-for-service outpatient physical therapy billed to insurance or self-pay. Services include evaluation, treatment sessions, and specialized programs. Most insurance plans do not require referrals for coverage.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

First Settlement Physical Therapy product offering

Product offering

Core offering

First Settlement Physical Therapy is a family-owned outpatient physical therapy practice operating 48+ clinic locations across Ohio and West Virginia. It delivers individualized rehabilitation services including aquatic therapy, dry needling, hand therapy, sports medicine, neurological rehabilitation, occupational health, women's health, speech therapy, and orthopedic care, offering Direct Access same-day treatment without physician referral.

Product overview

First Settlement Physical Therapy operates as a family-owned outpatient physical therapy practice offering a comprehensive range of rehabilitation services. The company provides 32 clinic locations throughout Ohio and West Virginia, offering individual therapy services including Aquatic Therapy, Back Pain Treatment, Dry Needling, Fall Prevention, General Orthopedics, Hand Therapy, Neurological Rehabilitation, Occupational Health, Senior Health, Speech Therapy, Sports Medicine, Vestibular & Vertigo Therapy, Women's Health, and Brace Fitting & Splinting. These services function as individual treatment programs offered across their clinic network rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Aquatic Therapy Exercise program performed in 92°F warm water using water's natural properties (buoyancy, resistance, hydrostatic pressure) to enable movements not possible on dry land due to pain, weakness, or inability to bear weight. For patients with musculoskeletal conditions, post-surgical limitations, and chronic pain.
Back Pain Treatment Physical therapy program addressing cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine pain and sciatic pain through dry needling, massage, soft tissue mobilization, core strengthening, flexibility improvement, posture training, and therapeutic exercises. For patients with back and neck pain.
Dry Needling Treatment using thin stainless steel filiform needles inserted into pressure/trigger points to relieve muscle pain, improve flexibility, and release tight muscle areas. For patients with myofascial pain and muscle tightness.
Fall Prevention Exercise programs focused on improving strength, balance, and flexibility to reduce fall risk in older adults, along with home modification guidance. For seniors and individuals at risk of falling.
General Orthopedics Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions affecting bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments through therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, and other modalities. For patients with orthopedic injuries and conditions.
Hand Therapy Treatment by Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) for conditions affecting the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and neck, including custom splint fabrication and comprehensive rehabilitation programs. For patients with upper extremity injuries and conditions.
Neurological Rehabilitation Rehabilitation programs for disorders of the nervous system including Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, balance and gait disorders, head injuries, and spinal cord injuries. For patients with neurological conditions.
Occupational Health

Quantifiable outcome

Most patients complete physical therapy in 4-12 visits on average
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use First Settlement Physical Therapy

Customer profile

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

First Settlement Physical Therapy technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

First Settlement Physical Therapy partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

Marshall UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for student physical therapy and physical therapist assistant rotations. Part of network of 30+ university partnerships providing hands-on training for PT and PTA students.
University of FindlaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for student physical therapy rotations. Students receive one-on-one learning experiences with mentorship emphasis.
Youngstown State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT and PTA student rotations with emphasis on mentoring and hands-on experience.
West Virginia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation providing clinical rotation opportunities for PT students.
Ohio UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for student rotations in the Ohio region.
Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation providing clinical education opportunities for PT students.
University of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student clinical rotations.
Slippery Rock UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for physical therapy student education.
Pierpont Community & Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PTA student training rotations.
Shawnee State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT and PTA student rotations.
University of CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation providing education opportunities for PT students.
Mountwest Community & Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for student rotations in West Virginia.
PennWest California UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PTA student education.
Wheeling UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation providing local education opportunities for PT students.
Trine UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student clinical rotations.
Walsh UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student education.
Hocking CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for student rotations in Ohio.
University of Charleston (WV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student education in West Virginia.
Kent State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for physical therapy student rotations.
Mount St. Joseph UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student clinical education.
Winston-Salem State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student education.
Western Kentucky UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student rotations.
New River Community and Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PTA student training.
Zane State CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for student education in Ohio.
Penn State ShenangocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PTA student rotations.
Penn State FayettecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PTA student training.
CCAC (Community College of Allegheny County)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PTA student education.
Bellarmine UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student clinical education.
University of ToledocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical affiliation for PT student education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights4 records

First Settlement Physical Therapy competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Select Medical / Concentra: Large post-acute and occupational health services company operating outpatient PT and employer clinic services (Concentra) with a national footprint. Overlaps with FSPT on outpatient PT and B2B occupational health; competes primarily at larger scale and broader portfolio.
Confluent Health: Private equity-backed outpatient therapy platform aggregating regional PT, OT, and SLP practices across multiple states. Direct overlap in operating model with FSPT but operating as a holding company / acquirer rather than a single regional practice.
U.S. Physical Therapy (USPH): Publicly-traded acquirer/operator of nearly 600 outpatient PT clinics across the U.S., with the same multi-specialty mix including hand therapy, occupational health, and neuro. Closest "public-market comparable" for valuing a multi-clinic regional PT operator like FSPT.
ATI Physical Therapy: National publicly-traded outpatient PT chain with hundreds of clinics across the U.S., offering the same multi-specialty service menu (orthopedic, hand, neuro, sports medicine, workers' comp) at much greater scale than FSPT. Comparable on product/customer overlap; broader on geography.
Athletico (Empower): Large national outpatient PT chain (now under Empower/Jeune) with multi-specialty service lines and occupational health offerings. Comparable service breadth to FSPT; far larger geographic and capital footprint.

Direct peers

CORA Physical Therapy: Multi-state outpatient PT chain offering orthopedic, sports, neuro, hand, and workers' comp services through a clinic network of similar scale to FSPT. Directly comparable on footprint, service breadth, and regional roll-up character.
Spooner Physical Therapy: Privately held, multi-clinic outpatient PT practice operating specialty services (hand, aquatic, vestibular, sports medicine) at a regional footprint comparable to FSPT. Directly comparable in service mix, ownership type, and clinic-network operating model.
BenchMark Physical Therapy: Regional outpatient PT operator with broad service line-up (orthopedic, hand, neuro, sports, pelvic health) and a clinic footprint of comparable size to FSPT. Directly comparable on delivery model and patient segments served.
PT Solutions: Privately held outpatient physical therapy practice with multi-state regional presence and a multi-specialty service mix (orthopedics, neuro, sports, pelvic health). Closest comparable to FSPT in operating model, ownership structure, and growth orientation.
Pivot Physical Therapy: Mid-Atlantic regional outpatient PT chain offering orthopedic, sports, hand, occupational health, and work injury services. Direct comparable on regional roll-up model and employer-channel emphasis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

First Settlement Physical Therapy financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

First Settlement Physical Therapy leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

First Settlement Physical Therapy funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

First Settlement Physical Therapy M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Settlement Physical Therapy

What does First Settlement Physical Therapy do?

Is First Settlement Physical Therapy a public or private company?

First Settlement Physical Therapy is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.

When was First Settlement Physical Therapy founded?

First Settlement Physical Therapy was founded in 1999. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is First Settlement Physical Therapy based?

First Settlement Physical Therapy is headquartered in Parkersburg, United States, in the North America region.

How does First Settlement Physical Therapy make money?

One revenue line is on record: outpatient Physical Therapy Services.

Who are First Settlement Physical Therapy's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Select Medical / Concentra, Confluent Health, U.S. Physical Therapy (USPH), ATI Physical Therapy and Athletico (Empower). Direct peers are CORA Physical Therapy, Spooner Physical Therapy, BenchMark Physical Therapy, PT Solutions and Pivot Physical Therapy.

Does First Settlement Physical Therapy have an API?

No public API is recorded for First Settlement Physical Therapy.

What industry is First Settlement Physical Therapy in?

First Settlement Physical Therapy's product category is Outpatient Physical Therapy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFABAB, Outpatient Rehabilitation & Physical/Occupational/Speech Therapy Centers, with a secondary code of HLADAJAD, Outpatient Physical Therapy (PT) Clinics. Its NAICS code is 62134 and its SIC code is 8093.