Dr. Brant Hulsebus, 34

By Sarah Roberts

Dr. Brant Hulsebus knows a thing or two about Rockford tradition—his family is one of the oldest chiropractic families in the area, and Hulsebus is one of eight relatives in the business.

When Hulsebus returned to Rockford from college in late 2003, he met up with some peers in what would become the inaugural meeting of Next Rockford.

“When I first got here, Textron had just closed, and I lost a good number of my patients because they lost their health care,” Hulsebus said. “(My peers and I) had decided to set up our lives and start families here, and collectively we knew we had to do something to help improve our city.”

When consultant Rebecca Ryan laid out a framework for attracting and retaining talented young professionals, Next Rockford “got really focused,” Hulsebus said.

He followed up on Ryan’s suggestions for downtown—he got involved in movements to eliminate one-way streets, revitalize the MetroCentre and find ways to make downtown inviting for new businesses and restaurants.

Building on his commitment to downtown, Hulsebus serves as the team chiropractor for both the Rockford IceHogs and Rockford Rampage. He also volunteers at the Rockford Rescue Mission—after donating a chiropractic table to the organization in 2002, Hulsebus contacted his fellow chiropractors around Rockford, asking them to join him in donating services to the mission. Today, about 15 doctors from eight clinics provide free care to the rescue mission.