Our Story: How Vertex Grew from One Room to Three Locations (and Beyond)

Founded on Purpose. Built to Deliver Real Results.

Vertex PT Specialists was founded in 2016 by Dr. Brandon Vaughn, PT, DPT, OCS, with one goal in mind: to fix what was broken in the physical therapy world.

After years working in traditional high-volume clinics, Brandon saw how the system failed both patients and providers. Overbooked therapists. Reliance on techs and aides. Insurance-driven protocols that prioritized billing codes over real outcomes.

So, he did something different.

Vertex began in a single gym room with Brandon treating every patient one-on-one for a full hour. That small, focused start became the foundation for a practice built on results, relationships, and doing things the right way.

Built on Expertise. Backed by Community.

Since that one-room beginning, we’ve grown into three clinic locations—Cayce-West Columbia, Irmo, and Downtown Columbia—and now provide outpatient home health services across Lexington and Richland counties.

We believe that quality care starts with quality time—and that better outcomes happen when people are seen, heard, and treated like individuals, not protocols.

We also invest deeply in mentorship and continuing education, because better PTs lead to better outcomes for everyone we serve.

Guided by Core Values

At Vertex, how we operate matters just as much as what we do. Our team lives by three simple but powerful core values:

• Take pride in everything you do. From the first phone call to the last visit, we aim to be the best at what we do. That means attention to detail, high standards, and a commitment to excellence from our front desk to the treatment table. It’s clear in how our team shows up each day. That level of excellence builds on itself. When people take pride in their work, success follows.

• Treat others the way you want to be treated. Whether you’re a patient or a teammate, we lead with respect, empathy, and integrity. It’s a standard rooted in faith, in character, and in doing what’s right even when no one’s watching. We treat people the way we would want ourselves and our families to be treated.

• Have fun. People do better work when they enjoy where they are. That’s why we value authenticity, laughter, and a culture where both staff and patients want to be. We keep things real. No theatrics. No performative nonsense. Just honest work, good energy, and a team that actually likes showing up.

These aren’t slogans—they’re how we’ve built our culture, grown our team, and earned the trust of our community.

More Than a Clinic. A Calling.

We’re here for people who want better than average.
We’re here for patients who want a partner, not a protocol.
We’re here for PTs who want autonomy, mentorship, and purpose behind their work.

And we’re just getting started.