Norris Enterprises Exceeds Even Founder’s Expectations

By Victoria French

Don’t ask Wichita chiropractor Tracy Norris how Norris Enterprises has prospered in a tough economy --- he doesn’t know. The company, comprising Norris’ chiropractic practice, online medical accessories business PainRelievers.com and online furniture business iFurn.com, has exceeded his wildest expectations, Norris says. A three-year growth rate of more than 84 percent has earned the company its third consecutive Metro Award.

Strong Furniture Sales
Much of the growth has come from iFurn.com, a unit established in 1998. Ifurn was initially dedicated to delivering computer furniture, Norris says. “We developed that idea because I wanted to find a product that was strongly needed in the computer age,” says Norris. “I pictured that anyone who was using a computer was sitting at a desk and in a chair.” Ifurn’s customer base includes government agencies and school districts that are looking for the lower prices an Internet dealer can provide. During the past year, iFurn.com has added kitchen, living room and garage-type storage furniture to its inventory Norris says. “We just launched a new furniture lines, and that addition alone has increased out furniture business by three times what it was the month prior to when we launched it,” Norris says. Norris’ older Web venture, PainReliever.com®, also experienced growth. He began the site as a way to sell products he used in his chiropractic practice to consumers, hospitals and other medical practices. The addition of massage therapy products to the inventory gave the site a big boost, Norris says. But products alone do not make a business successful, he says. Even in an online environment, customer service is the key. “We go beyond what other Internet companies do to provide good service,” he says. Norris said his staff is available both online and via telephone to answer customer questions and provide quick efficient sales and processing. “People call to find out what kind of product they can use for relieving neck pains, what kind of brace they need for their ankle sprain --- so there is a lot of information we have to provide for the customers, especially on the Web site,” Norris says. Along with the two Internet businesses, Norris and his wife Lisa run a successful chiropractic practice. Norris says he has a loyal patient base, and even in a time when many consumers lost access to insurance coverage for chiropractic treatment, his practice has thrived. “I can’t explain how we grew and lost at the same time,” Norris says. “It was a strange occurrence. It could be the success of the well-developed relationship I have with people.” Norris Enterprises recently combined its Internet business and chiropractic clinic into a new office suite at 21st Street North and Webb Road.