Ever wonder about the back story of an organization? Especially one dedicated to brain health? We sure do. It’s entertaining to dig around the internal workings of a company to find the endearing quirks! It humanizes the brand, doesn’t it? From little known secrets about the leadership to fun facts about the building itself, here are 5 things you probably don’t already know about LearningRx, the world’s largest network of cognitive training centers:

1. The LearningRx CEO was also the first client

Kim Hanson, CEO of LearningRx, is the oldest daughter of the LearningRx founder, Dr. Ken Gibson. As a child, Kim served as the official first research participant for the development of Dr. Gibson’s brain training methods. She recalls many experiences of being on a balance beam, a tilted table, or a trampoline while simultaneously reciting the alphabet and following a moving target with her eyes. (The current LearningRx brain training program does not include such “dangerous” tasks, by the way.) But, how many CEOs can say they’ve been such an integral part of their company since before they could walk?

2. You can fill a football stadium with the number of brains trained by LearningRx

For more than three decades, Dr. Gibson and his colleagues have been training brains with his unique one-on-one, face-to-face training methodology that pairs each client with a personal brain trainer. (Like working out with a personal trainer at a gym!) The number of people who have been trained—more than 100,000—can fill the University of Wisconsin football stadium. (That’s a lot of brains.)

3. The LearningRx founder had a learning disability himself

Dr. Gibson struggled with reading as a child and was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia.  After becoming a pediatric eye doctor, he dedicated his practice to developmental vision therapy to help children just like himself with reading struggles. But, he soon learned that dyslexia is predominantly a deficit in auditory processing skills rather than a visual processing problem. So, his pursuit of an effective intervention began! It was years in the making and gradually evolved into the brain training program now known as LearningRx.

4. A mule deer gave birth at the LearningRx World Headquarters

The LearningRx World Headquarters is located in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO where the big-eared mule deer are a key part of the region’s wildlife heritage.  They can be seen frequently grazing in the courtyards around the LearningRx building. One mama deer even felt comfortable enough to give birth in the courtyard right outside a wall of windows. The entire corporate staff (along with some bunnies and squirrels) witnessed the event!

5. LearningRx was the home of an official Pikes Peak camera

For many years, one of the official webcams for viewing the majestic Pikes Peak was located on the top of the LearningRx World Headquarters building. News stations used the live feed to report the weather conditions on the mountain.  Even though the camera is no longer in use, Pikes Peak is still visible in real-time from several offices throughout the building. (And it’s still a fun claim to fame.)   MBJ