Business Buzz
By Rich Baehrle
Christopher Ferry went from having a beautiful loving family, to hitting rock bottom in the black hole of the drug world.
He was born in Somers Point in 1989 and grew up in Ventnor. His parents gave him the opportunity to attend private schooling and play sports, which became a big part of his upbringing. His parents’ relentless work ethic taught Chris the importance of perseverance and sacrifice, values that shaped his early life.
Ice hockey became his passion, and he poured everything into the sport. He played at an elite level for high-level teams including the Junior Flyers and the East Coast Selects. He even tried out for Team USA.
Unfortunately during his junior year, things drastically changed when he got into a fight while defending a hockey teammate. He eventually got expelled from St. Augustine Prep and was transferred to Atlantic City High School. That moment changed everything. Feeling misunderstood and abandoned, he began experimenting with drugs.
Chris began with recreational use, but it quickly spiraled out of control. He began using Percocet which soon led to heroin and crack cocaine. His addiction completely took over his life.
He lost his connection with his family. He dropped out of college, and he faced multiple DUI arrests and related charges. At his lowest point, Chris was homeless and sleeping under the Ventnor Boardwalk. Like so many others before him, his addiction had taken away everything he loved.
Chris’ road to recovery was long and arduous, but giving up was not an option. He went through five relapse occurrences before something finally clicked during his sixth rehab stay. Between 60 and 90 days into the treatment, it felt like he woke up from a coma. He began to feel emotions that he hadn’t felt since he was 18, even though he was 24 at the time. As he reflected on the damage his addiction had caused, he knew he wanted to help people like himself who were trapped in the dark, lonely world of addiction, but could not see their way out. He wanted to put his passion for helping people in recovery into action, so he created the Boca Recovery Center in 2016.
After attending multiple rehabs, he saw firsthand what worked and what didn’t. He knew from a patient’s perspective what is truly helpful and what isn’t. He wanted to help people by using his experiences through the most critical stages of their journey of recovery.
Since opening Boca he has expanded into multiple locations across the country, offering top-tier addiction treatment. The company currently has four locations: Galloway Township, Pompano Beach, Fla., Bloomington, Ind., and Huntington, Ind. with a total of 149 licensed beds.
All of the locations offer in-patient services including medical detox and residential care. They are currently expanding the Galloway location from 22 to 80 beds. In addition, they are opening a 40-bed facility in Englewood, Bergen County, as well as a 128-bed facility in Springfield, Mass. Once the expansions are completed, Boca Recovery Center will have 375 in-patient, beds across six locations in four states.
Chris chose to open Galloway in 2020 due to his roots in the South Jersey area. He has a deep commitment to helping people in the area where he grew up. He knows firsthand how badly substance abuse has negatively affected Atlantic County.
From the beginning of Boca Recovery Center, he wanted to open somewhere in Atlantic County to make a real impact in the community. After thoroughly researching every city in the area, Galloway stood out as the ideal spot. It has a great presence in providing medical care while offering a serene setting, which is crucial for maintaining privacy.
Galloway provides the perfect environment for the care they wanted to offer at Boca Recovery Center by blending medical resources with a peaceful, private atmosphere that helps people focus on recovery.
Galloway is currently 7,000 square feet with 22 inpatient beds on 5 acres. They recently received approvals to expand to 42,000 square feet, with accommodations for 80 beds on 10 acres. This will position the facility as one of the state’s largest and most comprehensive treatment centers.
Chris realizes all of the growth does not come from one person. He has assembled a highly qualified team. Chris is the CEO. The team consists of Justin Claud, chief legal officer and partner; Cathy Claud, chief administrative officer, with nearly 50 years in the addiction treatment field.
Chief Operations Officer Joseph Toland has cutting edge and evidence-based experience. Lastly, they have Stephanie Morris who is the chief nursing officer who oversees all of the locations and maintains the highest care of standards.
Each of the team members carries out the corporate philosophy of individualized patient care. Everybody is unique. Patients are treated not like a number, but with the utmost respect on their road to recovery. Chris, his family and team are proud of what they have created.
If you want to reach out to Christopher Ferry email chris.ferry@bocarecoverycenter.com or see www.bocarecoverycenter.com, or call 609-202-5669.
Remember to support local businesses, especially small businesses.
Rich Baehrle, of Berkshire Hathaway Fox and Roach, can be reached at 609-266-6680 or 609-641-0011. Email richardbaehrle@gmail.com or see www.getrichinrealestateSJ.com
