HEALING IS WERFEL'S BUSINESS
By Kevin T. Czerwinski
Dr. Howard Werfel is a businessman, that much is obvious. But the idea of actually running a business isn't one that enters his mind all that often.
Werfel owns and operates Werfel Chiropractic in the strip mall on Lafayette Avenue. Though business is good, Werfel has more important matters on his mind.
"I never looked at this like I was opening a business," Werfel, 40, said. "I'm a healer. My purpose is healing. Business is a secondary issue. No one will rent you space or give you a building if you can't run the business. That's where my office manager comes in. My staff will keep the place going as long as I'm able to keep healing."
Werfel has proven to be a healer and more. He's a confidante, a friend and a caring voice where his patients are concerned. He's been filling that role for the better part of the last 15 years, 14 of which have been spent at his Village practice.
While Werfel's mission statement is based on helping people maintain a high level of health and wellness through maintenance care programs, that goal couldn't have been achieved without a great deal of hard work. Werfel graduated from Life Chiropractic College in 1992 and has worked in Central and South America, visiting Panama, Brazil and Ecuador in an effort to share his knowledge and bring care to those in impoverished areas.
But he continues to keep his roots in the Village, always looking to expand and provide better services for his patients. Werfel has added new techniques to his practice in recent years that have provided dramatic results in easing pain in almost every area from menstrual cramps to achy joints.
And if Werfel has his way, someday there will be a chiropractic Shangri-La in Suffern. His ultimate goal is to build a business, a dream office that will in effect be like a green house. There will fountains and waterfalls, plants and sunlight, a relaxing atmosphere that will make his patients feel as comfortable as possible.
"I'd love to have things like big French doors that can be opened, a retractable roof and when it's nice we could even do adjustments outside," Werfel said. "I'm hoping someday to be able to do that.
"I had a building here in town that I thought could have worked but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be and I wound up selling it. Really, all I need is a plain box. A bank would be perfect or a nice house. Most houses would work. It would provide a great atmosphere. It would be like a spa."
Werfel, who has been married to his wife Donna for nine years, has five children - triplets and a set of twins. He's hoping that by building such a business he'll also have something to leave them someday.
So in a way, he is thinking about business a bit more than even he may notice. That's not surprising considering his father, Joe Werfel, has been a local businessman for nearly 40 years. Joe Werfel has owned an operated a successful lawn business for decades, providing his son with a model for success.
"I picked up my work ethic from my mom and dad," he said. "Long hours are never an issue so I guess I unconsciously picked it up. It's no big deal for me to run a business. I'm not fearful about doing it. I never thought of it as running a business."
Werfel is a healer. The business of making someone well is the only business with which he's concerned.
Free two-hour parking is available on the street in the Village while the Parking Authority's lots are free for three hours. The public lots closest to Werfel Chiropractic are on Chestnut Street or Orange Avenue.