At the close of Dr. Jeff Lee’s 24 years in the US Army as a Special Forces Green Beret Medical Sergeant and physician, he wanted to find a way to continue helping those serving and working in remote areas. His vision became a reality with Vighter Medical Group LLC.
Dr. Lee started the business as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and his wife, Dr. Maria Doria, whom he met at medical school, has been with him every step of the way. She currently serves as Vighter’s President and Chief Medical Officer. “The idea was to provide services equivalent to a military Battalion Surgeon, which is a unit’s medical expert,” he explains.
The company began by providing advisory and medical services to federal government contractors working in high-risk environments in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Colombia. Vighter now offers healthcare staffing, too. The company rapidly mobilizes quality healthcare providers in anincreasing number of remote and hard-to-fill locations.
Vighter grew over 3,200% percent from 2011 to 2016. At that point, the partners decided to relocate the businessfrom Dr. Lee’s hometown of Winona, Minnesota, to San Antonio to take advantage of even more business opportunities. Dr. Lee is proud of what the company has accomplished as an SDVOSB, with a Joint Commission certification in Health Care Staffing Services (HCSS), a National Accreditation Alliance Medical Transport Applications (NAAMTA) accreditation, a spot in Inc. 5000’s fastest growing private companies, and recognition as one of VET50’s fastest growing veteran-owned companies.
But the rapid growth wasn’t easy to achieve. Generating new business and balancingcompetitive rates with competitive employee pay were a few of the challenges they faced. So was tax planning. “When a company doubles in size year over year, tax planning cannot be ‘take 10% and add it to what you paid the previous year. We found that out the hard way,” he admits. The lack of planning led to what Dr. Lee calls a “nauseatingly large tax payment” and prompted Vighter to search for a better option.
A referral from a fellow San Antonio business owner brought Steven Bankler, CPA. into the picture. Steven diligently reviewed Vighter’s previous tax filings and outlined a plan to reduce their corporate tax burden significantly. “Steven and his team worked tirelessly with our accounting and legal personnel,” Dr. Lee says. “It wasn’t easy, and there were a few headaches for the administrative team, but, once we filed our first tax return under the new plan, we were handsomely rewarded.”
Steve’s approach not only reduced payroll taxes but also allowed Vighter to recoup much of the estimated taxes paid during the tax year. “I highly recommend Steven’s services, especially for government contractors with offices in the San Antonio area,” he says.
To learn more about Vighter Medical Group, visit www.vighter.com.