We recently connected with Casey McKay and have shared our conversation below.

Casey, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission the drives your brand?
AT Direct was started in 2017 while I was in graduate school. I was working for various schools, club teams and athletic associations. I realized that what I was doing was not only risky to myself as a healthcare provider but risky to the athletes and individuals hiring me. They didn’t know whether I was certified and licensed or what my criminal past was, and I didn’t know if these athletes had previous cardiac conditions, had a valid physical or any of their past medical history. Additionally, no one knew what an athletic trainer was. They just knew I was the girl there to “tape their ankles”. Through my experiences with this, I realized I needed to create something that not only protected and advocated for the athletes but also protected myself as a healthcare provider and advocated for athletic trainers.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
When I was in high school, my dad became partially paralyzed from an unnamed healthcare provider. He had to do physical therapy after that event to regain his strength and ability to walk again I saw how much physical therapy gave him his independence back and his ability to live again and knew I wanted to do that for other people. I signed up for a sports medicine class at my high school and loved it! After that I went and received my bachelor’s degree in athletic training and went on to get my master’s and doctorate in athletic training as well. AT Direct provides medical sideline services for your sporting events. If you are hosting any kind of sporting event from rugby to extreme frisbee golf, we can provide medical care for you. We pride ourselves on our advocacy for the athletes and ensuring they receive the appropriate care. We partner with various physician groups, hospitals and other healthcare providers to allow our athletes to be seen by top notch providers. I am most proud for the advocacy I have done for the athletic training profession. Previously, ATs were not paid much more than what they would bring in supplies. They also worked crazy hours and were over loaded with large, spread-out venues. Though education, we have been able to make sure our customers understand ATs scope of practice, ensure that athletic trainers do not feel over whelmed in their coverage, and are not having to use their own money for supplies.

How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is HARD. I tired to read all the articles, set schedules of when to post and where, gathered all the info and such. One thing I have found successful is to connect on a personal level with my audience. I post things that other athletic trainers would like to see, other moms would like to see and to show that I too, am a person. I also went and followed a lot of “potential customers” in my area. Using the instagram algorithms, I searched for sports in my area and would go follow those accounts. I would also email them or reach out via instagram to share what it is we do and see if they are interested! Making it personal I think shows that you truly care as a company.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source for me for new clients is word of mouth. Athletic training is a profession where people don’t really understand what it is we do so you can’t really go google search “athletic training services”. Customers typically reach out to an athletic trainer, possibly a coach or athletic director they know and ask where they found their athletic trainer. Then they typically are sent to us! One thing I pride myself on is taking care of my staff because I believe if they like working for AT Direct, they will continue to send us clients and workers!

Contact Info:

• Website: atdirectsportsmedicinellc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atdirectsportsmedicine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATdirectsportsmed/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-mckay-7229b9122/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/atdirect
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/at-direct-sports-medicine-queen-creek-2