Our History
Growing up as the third child in a very close and athletic family, founder Tom Hall was inspired and motivated by his older brother, Chuck. In 1972, following an All American football career at the University of Delaware, Chuck signed a professional contract with the Baltimore Colts. During a routine team physical, the Colts discovered a shadow between his heart and his lungs. What was at first thought to be a minor genetic problem soon was determined to be Hodgkin ’s disease. It was then that Tom, only 18 years old, decided that he would spend his life helping people cope with chronic illness.
One year later, Chuck was gone.
During his four years at the University of Delaware, Tom was mentored by Dr. Robert Neeves, a Health Science professor who was the Director of the Human Performance Laboratory. He was accompanied by his close friend, Rich Shaw. One year after graduation, Tom decided it was the right time to open his clinic. With the full support and unconditional love from his wife Patti, Tom designed a strategy. There was just one problem: he needed to borrow a significant amount of money in order to purchase the necessary equipment. He decided to go back to Dr. Neeves for help. Amazingly, the professor agreed to collateralize his home in order to obtain the loan, and in the fall of 1979, CardioKinetics was established.
At the same time, Rich Shaw, who had been working in South Carolina, was dealing with his own difficult circumstances in the untimely death of his mother. During the spring of 1979, Rich decided to relocate back to Delaware, in a move that would become an important piece of the company’s history. Quickly becoming a partner in the business, Rich has been largely responsible for the development of the company’s Preventive Medicine programs over these last decades.
Tom, Rich, and the passionate staff at CardioKinetics have been serving our community for 40 years. From the very beginning, their vision has been to improve the health and wellness of others and to do so with an enthusiastic passion that will have a positive, lasting influence on people’s lives.
