Pedorthic Pioneer | Shane Hayes | Celebrating 50 years of the Credentialed Pedorthist!

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50th | Shane Hayes

Dean Morgan

Everybody Starts Somewhere

Shane Hayes, Board Certified Pedorthist, C. Ped, BOCPED, COF
- PFA President 1989-1991 -

After completing 6 yrs. of Navy service, returning home to Seattle from the Vietnam War, Shane went to work part-time in the shoe department of JC Penney; soon rising to management. Reading the newspaper’s Business Opportunities section on a lunch break, he found and purchased an orthopedic shoe store with a shoe repair attached.

Quickly mastering the skills taught by the previous owner, his thirst for improvement found him sitting in a regional presentation by Carl Riecken about something called pedorthics being taught at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Shane recalled, “It had snowed and the small plane skidding across the ice, mercifully stopping at the terminal in Muncie”.

Subsequently serving on the PFA board for 10 years (including a stint as PFA president); the major task during his tenure was nurturing the advancement & passage of the Therapeutic Shoe Bill to becoming a law in 1993. Shane felt privileged to have met the majority of the PFA founding fathers, building on their foundation.

The very day he was confirmed as a C. Ped (being the first C. Ped in the state of Washington), an orthotist introduced him to the Chief of Orthopedics at a major hospital in Seattle. Within months other orthopedic surgeons were expressing a desire to work with Shane, culminating with him being the first pedorthist in the country hired on the staff of a major hospital. The privilege of being allowed in the operating room next to the surgeons, as well as the daily clinical knowledge was far beyond the normal scope of pedorthics. He felt this higher education needed to be shared with his pedorthic peers to elevate pedorthists as recognized allied healthcare professionals. “Every time I teach, (even if it’s a little off-center) I have an opportunity to learn”.

Lifelong Student of Pedorthics

Industry Recognition as a
Medical Professional

As a self-confessed, Lifelong student of the profession, educating others took on a life of its own, traveling to all corners of the country. Shane utilized the full scope of pedorthics & beyond to create a business model that incorporated clinical, custom modification & retail under one roof. Thus, establishing a one-stop facility for all his patients bracing, foot orthotic, footcare & footwear needs.

As a rising star in the medical footcare community, he pushed himself beyond his comfort zone to accept a multitude of new opportunities. The Veterans Administration utilized his expertise for scientific studies. Having a knack for creating a synergy of disparate pieces of information, he generated a new opportunity as a consultant. Shane acted on a creative idea approaching Brooks Sports for a project.

The resulting success prompted other footwear companies to pursue him. New opportunities and knowledge became a springboard feeding his ultimate goal of bringing new technology, materials & modalities home to take the best care possible of his patients.

Never A Dull Moment

Shane & wife Debbie on a
Symposium night out.

Along the way, his patient list included professional baseball, football, basketball athletes and Olympians. In 2009, Shane became a cancer survivor from his exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War but continued his daily patient load.

It wasn’t all work and no play, throughout his 47-year career, he managed to travel around the world twice and visit almost every state in the union. Retiring in 2021, he still creates online continuing education courses as a fond farewell. Shane agrees with the adage, “when you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life!”