Footcare clinic BioPed occupies a building on Wyndham Street known by many locals as the “old Heller & Moisan Shoes.” What many people don’t know is the long history of the iconic shoe store and how BioPed grew out a family passion for shoes that goes back 50 years.
Decades of Quality Footcare
In 1971, Albert Heller opened Heller Shoes (later to become Heller & Moisan Shoes). Albert’s son, Ross, grew up working at the shoe store where he developed a keen interest in helping customers with medical conditions and hard-to-fit feet.
Ross was inspired to learn more and went to the United States to train as a pedorthist. In 1981, he opened BioPed next door to his father’s shoe store. Over the years, Ross mentored many pedorthists, including Paul Lucas who eventually took over BioPed in 1991.
Continuing in the Tradition
In 2019, Heller & Moisan Shoes unfortunately closed their doors, but that was not the end of high-quality footwear in that space. BioPed has since expanded their clinic to take over the old shoe store space and now offers a large selection of the footwear that is comfortable, stylish and orthotic-friendly.
Meghan Knox, Guelph Clinic Manager and Canadian Certified Pedorthist, has been with BioPed for 13 years and continues BioPed’s tradition of excellent patient care. “I know when Heller & Moison Shoes closed, some of the community thought we had closed with it. In fact, we are bigger than ever!”
From Wynham Street to Locations Across the Country
BioPed has grown far beyond their location on Wyndham Street. People across the country can now experience the exceptional care that originated in their Guelph location. They have expanded to include 75 clinics in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario, each of which offers their patients BioPed’s commitment to individualized care.
Each BioPed centre offers assessment and treatment services for a wide variety of conditions related to the feet and lower limbs. Their locations all have on-site labs where they manufacture custom orthotics, provide adjustments and specialized fitting services.
Though the company has grown, they have not lost their commitment to individualized customer service and patient care. Meghan and her team at BioPed continue the tradition that was started all those years ago by Albert Heller and his son Ross.
“What I love about the job is the opportunity to manufacture my own custom orthotics and the continuum of care that I can provide to the patients we see. We are able to provide the best care we can for our patients,” she says.
For more information about the services that BioPed offers, visit them online at www.bioped.com, in person at their historic location at 102 Wyndham Street North in Guelph or call them at (519) 821-7310.