A small business in Lake Havasu City is run by two amazing women, Colleen Wedekind McShea and Catie Sondrol. Colleen and Catie own and operate Mile Markers, a company that offers services for people of all ages with developmental disabilities, delays, or medical issues. They offer many services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, music therapy, an after-school and adult day program, habilitation, work, and DCS programs.
A look at their background
Colleen is a speech pathologist, and she attended Illinois State for her bachelor’s degree and Texas State for her master’s degree. After school, she completed her clinical fellowship year in town at Havasu Regional Medical Center (HRMC). Colleen ended up staying with HRMC after her fellowship, where she met Catie, and the dream of Milemarkers began. When asked why she chose her career path, Colleen explained, “My dad told me to find what I love and get paid for it. I love to talk and help people, so this is perfect for me. I believe communication is the foundation of life, and I get to help people communicate what they need and want in life.” Colleen has been married for 14 years and has three kids, ages 12, 11, and 7, along with two dogs.
Catie is an occupational therapist and attended the University of North Dakota for both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After school, she started her career in school districts and early intervention services before she met Colleen to begin creating Milemarkers. When asked about the best part of her career, Catie explained, “I love the combination of science and medicine. I also love using creativity to help somebody increase the quality of their life and independence. To me, occupational therapy is an art, and I love it.” Catie has been married for 20 years and has two kids, the ages of 15 and 12, along with two dogs.
Colleen and Catie both have full families in Lake Havasu City, and that is what makes serving their community even more important. “We love raising our families in the community that we want to help improve. We pride ourselves on being a primary resource center for families in Mohave County.”
What is next for Mile Markers?
Coming up in January of next year, Milemarkers will celebrate their 18th birthday. Before they celebrate, they are eager to move into their new location by the end of this year. Mile Markers will eventually move into a 24,000-square-foot building located in The Shops at Lake Havasu on the north side of town. Currently, they are in 2 separate locations, so moving into one facility will help them streamline communication and services for their families. They are also hoping to expand their services into behavioral and living supports.
Along with their current locations in Lake Havasu City, Milemarkers has clinics in Bullhead and Kingman. As Mile Markers will celebrate two decades of work in no time, Colleen and Catie are most proud of their company’s organic growth. “We started with ourselves as two therapists and recognized we could better serve the community of Lake Havasu by adding additional services. We listened to the families that we were serving and were able to add the services that they needed; We started off with kids, and as they grew into adults, we began working with the state to get a contract to offer work opportunities for our adults with disabilities.”
More information about Milemarkers and the services they offer can be found at milemarkers.us, and they can be contacted by email, Instagram, Facebook, or their clinic phone number listed on their website.
If you or anyone you know is a therapist, Milemarkers is currently hiring!
This content was written by our amazing staff writer Alicia Armendariz
And sponsored by The A Team- Real Estate Professionals.