Photo Provided Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics were presented a proclamation from the State of Ohio at its recent grand opening of the new Belpre facility/the business’s 5th anniversary party. Pictured are Mark Miller, owner and certified licensed prosthetist/orthotist; Addison Miller, representative from State of Ohio Treasury; Alex Miller, son and future prosthetic assistant; Nancy Miller, owner and CEO; Dakota Wentz, technician; Sean Greer, certified licensed orthotist; Susie Murphy, office manager; and Keating, certified therapy dog.

BELPRE — Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics is helping people be able to move around better at its new location in Belpre.

The 3,400-square-foot facility, located at 2354 Richmiller Lane, was built during the same time as the Belpre Medical Center was being built right up the street.

The business officially opened Nov. 2 and had a grand opening celebration last week as it commemorated the business’s five-year anniversary.

Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics started in Parkersburg in 2012 with a location at 2601 Dudley Ave. and eventually establishing a location in Belpre at the medical office building adjacent to the Belpre Medical Campus of Memorial Health System across the highway from the new location.

Owners Mark and Nancy Miller originally had plans to have their business become a part of the new Belpre Medical Center, but ultimately decided they needed their own space and decided to build just up the road.

Photo Provided Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics recently opened its new location in Belpre at 2354 Richmiller Lane as the business celebrates its fifth anniversary. The location includes a workshop where many of the prosthetics and braces are custom made.

“We decided to have two offices, one in each state for people’s preferences,” Nancy said. “Sometimes people want to go to West Virginia and sometimes they want to go to Ohio.

“Insurance companies also have different preferences.”

Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics makes artificial limbs for people as well as a variety of braces for the back, knees, feet and more.

“We serve amputees of all ages, anyone with a limb loss or if they were born without a limb,” Nancy said. “We would like to work with them before the amputation so we can help them along and give them advice.

“We focus on pediatrics if they have any needs for bracing. If they need corrective bracing for their ankles, knees, hips, back and Scoliosis. Anyone whose feet hurt we do a lot of custom orthotics with the soles inside shoes to make the pain go away.”

Photo Provided Dakota Wentz, technician at Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics, is laminating a socket for a below-knee prosthetic leg at the company’s workshop in Belpre. The company makes prosthetic limbs onsite at its Belpre facility.

They make many of the prosthetics and braces within their own workshop on site.

“We custom make everything here,” Nancy said of their Belpre location.

Mark has worked in the field of prosthetics and orthotics for over 29 years.

They bought an oven to melt the plastic they use, but it wouldn’t fit in their Parkersburg office so they moved it to their original Belpre office and later into their new building, putting it in the workshop where many of the prosthetics are specifically made.

Scans are done of a person’s residual limb and a mold is made where they can make the fitted piece where the residual limb goes in.

Photo by Brett Dunlap Nancy and Mark Miller, the owners of Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics, in their new Belpre facility. The company makes a variety of prosthetic limbs for amputees and people born without certain limbs.

“We do pets too,” Nancy said.

The couple adopted a three legged dog, Keating, who has a prosthetic limb and who is a certified therapy dog used at the business with children who have to have a prosthetic limb or who have to deal with a family member getting an artificial limb. They also take him to Belpre Landing and to area schools.

“He is 3¢ years old,” Nancy said. “Everybody loves him.

“He brings smiles to people’s faces.”

Due to having to be out of their old office by the end of October and deciding to build their own building, the Millers got a late start in their planning.

However, with the work of the architect Chip Wilson and their contractor Mondo Construction and Excavating, they got the building built in around three months.

“We got our building permit on July 18 and our occupancy permit on Oct. 12,” Nancy said. “We moved in on schedule.

“November 1 was our first day in this building. On November 2 we had our ribbon cutting and their Grand Opening Party was on Dec. 12 (the date of their fifth anniversary).”

The date, 12-12-12, was Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics’ actual business license date.

In September, they hired Sean Greer, pediatric orthotist. He also specializes in cranial moldings for young infants with misshapened skulls and they help reshape their skull.

The business continues to look to technology for new innovations.

“We focus on technology and always want to be high tech,” Nancy said. “We have been experimenting with 3-D printing. We have not printed anything to fit people here, but we have ordered things from other 3-D printers to provide with prosthetics.”

All of what they do is to improve people’s lives and being able to move around.

The company’s slogan is “Take a step towards comfort.”

The company wants its patients to have a better quality of life, Mark said.

“We want them to return to the activity level they had prior to amputation,” he said.

Many people have concerns over being limited after having a limb removed.

“There is life after amputation,” Mark said. “A lot of people don’t realize you can get back.

“With the technology today, we can get most people back close to the level they were before the amputation.”

That includes getting them to expand their activities.

“We try to get people more active and do things they think they can’t,” Mark said.

Nancy said there is a great demand for their services in this area.

“We like to give people a very personal experience,” she said. “It is not, you come in, get a leg and leave.

“You come in, you get fitted, you get adjustments and make sure it is comfortable. We like to make it look good.”

Attitudes about prosthetic limbs have changed with more people wanting to personalize the sockets with the markings of their favorite sports teams or other hobbies.

“They look cool,” Nancy said. “They don’t cover them up anymore.

“We make really neat looking legs.”

Miller Prosthetics and Orthotics offers a Prosthetic Users Group who meets the second Tuesday of the month so people have someplace to go to talk about what they are going through.

“Many are not sure what is ahead for them,” Mark said. “It is hard for them to think about what they are going to do, take care of their house, how are they going to mow their yard, do their dishes and the normal activities of daily living.

“Most of the time, we can get them back to the activity level they were before the surgery. That is our goal.”

For more information about their services, call 740-421-4211.