Wellness Center names Potts first director

With a 23,000 square foot facility being erected on a hill overlooking Sparta, Alleghany Wellness Center Inc. (AWCI) is looking forward to a long-awaited opening.

The board of Alleghany Wellness recently took another step toward opening by hiring a new director, Illinois native Joseph R. "Joe" Potts. Potts started his new position on Sept. 15, soon after he moved here from Urbana, Ill., a town of about 37,000 residents located about two hours south of Chicago. The University of Illinois is located in Urbana. His girlfriend, Lori Pearlman, first found work here at the Twin Oaks Veterinary Clinic and Potts decided to move here also. After arriving, he discovered the possibility of a position with AWCI. Potts said he and Pearlman met while she was still in vet school. While Sparta is much smaller than the cities he has inhabited in the past, Potts said he already feels at home here.

"When I was in grammar school, my family lived in a couple of smaller towns," he said. "I haven't discovered anything that I can't find within a reasonable drive. And the natural resources are more readily available here than they were where I came from."

Potts said he enjoys fishing, hunting, hiking and canoeing. "The New River really has everything," he said.

"I love it here," he said. "You've got to be apprehensive going to a new place, but none of my fears were realized. The people are so nice here.

"It will take years to see all the natural attractions this place has to offer," he continued. "Home is like pool table flat. It has its beauty, but it's different. I really am enjoying being in the mountains."

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back