Bryn Wesch

Business: The center's niche, says Wesch, is to go further than standard drug or alcohol detox rehab programs at hospitals and medical centers. “We want to do it better than anyone else,” Wesch says. “We want to create a positive first step environment.” The 12-bed, for-profit center opened in 2007, and the past year has been its biggest to date, with 50% growth in occupancy over 2011. Wesch projects 2013 will also be a growth year: The center, with a staff of 36 doctors and clinicians, is finalizing plans to expand to 31 beds and surpass 50 employees. Novus will handle any substance abuse situation, though the focus lately is on opiates and painkillers, given the recent wave of prescription drug abuse in Florida and nationwide. “Unfortunately,” says Wesch, “it's an epidemic that's completely out of control.”