We’re all familiar with the phrase, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!” In the fall of 2009, David and I decided to do just that.
It was at that time that, quite unexpectedly, we both found ourselves unemployed. As difficult as that time in our life was, we were grateful for the experiences we had and the perspective we had gained. It didn’t take us long to figure out that what we really wanted to do was impact the lives of other families like ours, and open an autism center.
By early 2010 we were holding town meetings, looking for commercial space, developing marketing materials and a hundred other details that go into creating a business. By April we had found our space, signed a lease and renovation began. In May we interviewed potential therapists—and with little more than a plan and a promise, nine brave souls took a leap of faith and joined us. In July 2010 Cornerstone opened for business in Greenwood with those nine therapists, and 1 client. Word quickly spread and the center grew by leaps and bounds. 
April 2011 was a momentous month in our history. Our lead BCBA, Ken Weadick, became our business partner and that same month we opened our West Lafayette location in Purdue Research Park. Less than a year later, in January 2012, we expanded our Greenwood facility by creating a unique environment for our older clients. In 2013 we expanded Greenwood once again to our current space of nearly 30,000 square feet. It is truly an impressive facility and has drawn the attention of not only folks in this state, but in neighboring states as well.
In 2014 we expanded our West Lafayette facility to accommodate demand in that area, and today it serves more than twice the capacity it did when it first opened. In June of that same year we opened our third location in Columbus with the goal of serving that community as well as the others we have become such a part of.
Cornerstone has continued to grow in each location and the demand for our services has never ceased to amaze us. In 2017 we moved our Columbus facility to nearby Edinburgh space that would all us to serve many more children in that area. Simultaneously we were working on our fourth location–a unique building in Greenwood that would serve our transitional and older population. This new space opened to rave reviews in May of 2017 and gives us the ability to cater to this distinct population. From our humble beginnings we have grown to over 200 employees and serve over 150 children every day. It has been an amazing trajectory to witness and I am so proud of all that we have accomplished.
–Debbie Ide