Owner Richard Grope’s Story
One day, while working in a large machine shop, my
world seemed to instantly crumble. A 3,000-pound
piece of steel fell on my foot. Suddenly, a baseball
tryout didn’t seem to matter much.
I was now fighting to save my leg. For the next three
years, I experienced 6 surgeries and an amazing
amount of pain in what would be a vain attempt at
what I considered at the time, to remain whole.
My right leg was amputated in 1978 at the age of 24.
Within a few months after my amputation, I was playing
baseball again. In fact, I discovered that my life was
going on. I had to make a choice either to live my life
normally or to be looked upon as a handicapped
individual who needed help and expected pity from the
rest of the world. I chose to live as if nothing ever happened.
I went to school for Accounting. I very quickly decided that
wasn’t for me and switched my major to Architecture.
During my studies, I was often asked to speak to both individuals and groups about how I dealt with the injury
and eventual amputation. It was at this point I was asked
to consider a career in Prosthetics. I said no for the next
5 years thinking there was something else that was
perfectly suited for me. I still continued to speak about
life with a prosthesis and felt good whenever I helped
someone who was about to go through what I experienced. Finally, after 5 years of talking with individuals and speaking to groups, I decided it was time to make this a career, and the trip eventually led to the founding of Western Reserve O&P.
Richard L. Grope — LPO
New York University Postgraduate Medical School · Shelby State Prosthetics School in Memphis, Tennessee
Licensed In the State Of Ohio
Certified In the States Of Pennsylvania & West Virginia By the American Board for Certification For Prosthetics & Orthotic Care
American Board Of Certification (ABC)
Member Of the National & State Bodies Of the American Academy Of Orthotics & Prosthetics
Board Of Orthotic Certification (BOC)
Certified In Ohio, Pennsylvania & West Virginia
Owner & President, Western Reserve Orthotics & Prosthetics Inc.
Licensed & Certified Prosthetist & Orthotist
Stephen J. Pollak — CPO/LPO
BS, Orthotics-Prosthetics, University of Texas · Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
BS, Engineering, US Naval Academy of Annapolis, Maryland
Commander, US Navy (retired)
FAA Certificated Pilot
American Board of Certification (ABC)
Licensed & Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist
Sean Kratzer — Licensed Orthotist (LO)
Certified in Cranial products from Orthoamerica.
Bachelor degree from Youngstown State University for Pre Med with minors in Sports Medicine, Chemistry and Psychology.
Kim Grope — Public Relations, Customer Service
ITT Technical School, Youngstown Ohio
Accounting & Computer Science
Vice President, Western Reserve Orthotics & Prosthetics I
Robert D. Paul — LPED/CPOA
Robert M. Palmer School of Biomechanics in Elwood, Indiana
American Board of Certification (ABC)
Licensed Pedorthist, Certified Prosthetist Orthotist Assistant, O&P Technician