Dec. 31—It's been an almost decade-long journey for Josh White.
On Dec. 14, 2012, White was asked to put together a group of massage therapists for a corporate function.
The rest — they say — is history.
"From that point on, it kind of blew up," he says. "Before I knew it, I was building a network of massage therapists to be part of the team."
White is owner of Por Vida Therapeutics, which provides massage therapists to help improve the health and wellness of the community by connecting clients to the therapists that meet the criteria needed.
Corporate events have been a longstanding way to network, though White is thinking bigger.
"I've been trying to get involved with the New Mexico film community," he says. "We have therapists that can treat a client in an office space and we can also be mobil and go to the set and meet the needs of the production."
White started as a private practice massage therapist in 2005, but wanted something more.
Today, most of the work Por Vida Therapeutics does is chair massage.
"What employers are realizing is that it's important for mental and physical health," he says of massage therapy. "The health and wellness of the work environment has come a long way."
The biggest obstacle for White and Por Vida Therapeutics is finding massage therapists.
"Before the pandemic, the pool was large and easy to pull from," he says. "It's a lot smaller. We're still averaging around 180-200 hours a month of work. In December, we're shooting for over 200 hours of work."
White says as name recognition continues to grow for Por Vida Therapeutics, he's focusing on branching out to the film industry.
"It's all about networking and finding the right person to open that door for us," he says. "The film industry is one of the growing industries and is mobil. We want to be able to fill that niche. All of our massage therapists are New Mexico residents. We live in the community and want to keep it healthy."
As White continues to expand projects within his company, here are a few things you didn't know about him:
1 "My daughter is my world. She's the best."
2 "I work as the barback at the Library Bar every other weekend."
3 "I love dogs and cats, but currently have a cat."
4 "I'm probably at the gym if I'm not working or with my daughter."
5 "I was named best of the city winner in 2013."
Get to know
To see more about Josh White's projects with Por Vida Therapeutics, visit porvidatherapeutics.com
Editor's note: Venue Plus continues "In Case You Didn't Know," a weekly feature with fun tidbits about New Mexicans and their projects.
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