The Joint Corp. (NASDAQ:JYNT) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript August 10, 2023

Operator: Hello, and welcome to The Joint Corp. Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results Conference Call. [Operator Instruction] Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Kirsten Chapman of LHA Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Kirsten Chapman: Thank you, MJ. Good afternoon, everyone. This is Kirsten Chapman of LHA Investor Relations. Joining us on the call today are President and CEO, Peter Holt and CFO, Jake Singleton. Please note we are using a slide presentation that can be found at ir.thejoint.com. Today, after the close of market, the Joint issued its operating metrics for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. If you do not already have a copy of this press release, it can be found in the Investor Relations section of the company’s website. As provided on Slide 2, please be advised that today’s discussion includes forward-looking statements, including statements concerning our strategy, future operations, future financial position and plans and objectives of management.

Throughout today’s discussion, we will present some important factors relating to our business that could affect these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made based on current predictions, expectations, estimates and assumptions and are also subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from statements we make today. Factors that could contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, our inability to identify and recruit enough qualified chiropractors and other personnel to staff our clinics. Due in part to the nation-wide labor shortage, an increase in operating expenses due to measures we may need to take to address such shortage inflation, exasperated by COVID-19 and the current War in Ukraine, which has increased our cost and which could otherwise negatively impact our business, the potential for further disruption to our operations and predictable impact on our business of the COVID-19 outbreak and outbreaks of other contagious diseases.

Our failure to develop or acquire company-owned or managed clinics as rapidly as we intend. Our failure to possibly operate company-owned or managed clinics short selling strategies and negative opinions posted on the internet, which could drive down the market price of our common stock and resulting class action lawsuits. Our failure to remediate any future material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, which could negatively impact our ability to accurately report our financial results, prevent fraud or maintain investor confidence and other factors described in our filings with the SEC, including the section entitled Risk Factors in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2023 and subsequently filed current and quarterly reports.

As a result, we caution you against placing undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and encourage you to review our filings with the SEC for a discussion of these factors and other risks that may affect our future results or the market price of our stock. Finally, we are not obligating ourselves to revise our results or publicly release any updates to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. Due to ongoing quarterly review procedures being performed in conjunction with the Joint’s independent public accounting firm management has postponed issuance of its second quarter financial results as of June 30, 2023. The matter in question is related to our regional developer arrangements that would have a non-cash impact to the company’s financial statements.

Management also includes commonly discussed performance metrics. System-wide sales includes revenue at all clinics, whether operated by the company or by franchisees. While franchise sales are not recorded as revenues by the company, management believes the information is important in understanding the company’s financial performance because these sales are the basis on which the company calculates and records royalty release and are indicative of the financial health and franchise base. Comp sales include the revenues from both company-owned or managed clinics and franchise clinics that in each case have been open at least 13 full months and 48 full months and excludes any clinics that have been closed. Turning to Slide 3. It’s my pleasure to turn the call over to Peter Holt.

Please go ahead, Peter.

Peter Holt: Thank you, Kirsten, and I welcome everybody to the call. For Q2 2023, during an environment of continued economic uncertainty, we posted growth in system-wide sales, supported by our ongoing franchise license sales, clinic openings and new patient acquisitions. That said, we strive to do more and to do better. As such, we’re implementing strategies to increase our long-term opportunities. I’ll review these in detail in a moment. First, for those investors who are new to the company, The Joint is revolutionizing access to chiropractic care by providing affordable concierge-style membership-based services in convenient retail settings. Turning to Slide 4. Let’s review our operating metrics for the second quarter 2023 compared to the second quarter of ‘22.

System-wide sales grew to $120.1 million, increasing 13%. Comp sales for clinics that have been opened for at least 13 full months increased by 5%. And at the end of June 30, 2023, our unrestricted cash was $13.6 million compared to $9.7 million at December 31, 2022. Turning to Slide 5, I’ll discuss our clinic metrics. During Q2, we opened 26 clinics, 23 franchise and 3 greenfields, one of which is in Southern California, another in Santa Fe and the third in Fort Dix on New Jersey in conjunction with our Army and Air Force Exchange Service. This compares to Q2 ‘22 in which we opened 34 clinics, 31 franchise and 3 greenfields. We also acquired 3 previously franchised clinics in Northern California, which is made possible by the acquisition of the regional developer rights to that territory in April ’22, as compared to the acquisition of 4 previously franchised clinics in Q2 ‘22.

In Q2 ‘23, we closed 2 corporate clinics, 1 which will be relocated and 4 franchise clinics, compared to closing 1 franchise clinic in Q2 2022. At less than 1%, our closure rate remains one of the lowest in the franchise community. In summary, in June 30, 2023, we had 890 clinics in operation, consisting of 556 clinics – franchise clinics and 134 company-owned or managed clinics. The portfolio mix remained at 85% franchise clinics and 15% company-owned or managed clinics. At the quarter end, we had a solid pipeline for future franchise clinic openings with 214 franchise licenses in active development. Subsequent to quarter and through the end of August 9, we opened 1 greenfield clinic and 9 franchise clinics. And we are delighted to announce that we opened our 900th clinic in Texas earlier this week.

Turning to Slide 6. In Q2 2023, we opened 21 franchise licenses, up from 17 in Q1 2023 compared to 24 franchise licenses sold in Q2 2022. This past quarter, 76% of our new licenses were purchased by existing franchisees. Their reinvestment reflects their understanding and the confidence in the Joint, even in this environment, which we believe indicates the strength of our business model and demonstrates the health of our franchise system. In June, we acquired the territory rights of Wisconsin reducing our regional developer count to 17. Our aggregate 10-year minimum development schedule for new RD territories established since 2017 is 590 clinics. Turning to Slide 7. Let’s review our marketing efforts. Our new patient acquisition is our highest priority.

And in Q2, we have implemented new tools, programs and several tests. And I’ll review a few for you now. We launched our first phase of our marketing automation initiative on May 31 with a different e-mail series designed to support lead generation, new patient onboarding and patient retention. Each e-mail campaign is tailored to the unique needs and perceptions of the perspective and current patients based on their chiropractic journey. Using our new marketing technology, we are automating the sending of the right message at the right time in that patient journey. We have multiple initiatives underway, including employee incentive plans, new lead management programs and new regional landing pages. Additionally, we are assessing appointments for first-time patients to improve the experience and ensure smooth patient flow in the clinics.

We also continue to expand our digital marketing efforts. For example, we started a test with TikTok in four markets. The initial results were positive with lead costs 15% lower than when compared to Meta. Subsequently, we increased the test to include four additional markets on expanding the targeted radius and updating the creative for better optimization. We continue two new promotions in our mix. In April, we launched a digital referral program to drive new patient counts during the most effective validation marketing. In June, we introduced the 55 get 1 free wellness sale, which is very successful and allowed any patient [indiscernible] advanced wellness plan purchase of 5 months to receive the 6-month free demonstrating our patients value in an affordable commitment to their treatment plan.

Lastly, we are updating our patient journey research. These findings will inform message optimization and customer experience from their initial search for chiropractor or becoming and remaining a patient. As noted on prior calls, chiropractic care is a natural fit with sports and military, and we enjoyed opportunities to support veterans in the local support teams. The Department of Manpower and Reserve affairs conducted a trial found increased isometric strength and endurance among members of the military who received chiropractic adjustments and noted chiropractic care improves key fitness characteristics among active duty service members with lower back pain. In June, we began in collaboration with our K9s for Warriors, a non-profit organization that pairs highly trained service dogs with military veterans suffering from service connected traumas.

Military training, deployment in the service can take a serious toll on the body’s physical and mental state and the K9 for Warriors program mirrors the joints philosophy that everyone can benefit from a natural approach to pain relief. We are sponsoring an impactful conversation surrounding a shared philosophy that supports a drug-free approach to wellness as well as the training and pairing of a service dog for a veteran in need. To year end [indiscernible] appreciation program we also honor active and retired members of the military as well as their immediate families nationwide with discounted initial visits to monthly wellness planned. Also, chiropractic economics has several articles citing the study that demonstrate chiropractic boot sports performance and assist with rehab.

In July, we were excited to announce that the Joint chiropractic was named the official chiropractor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, our first NFL partnership and our second major league sports sponsorship. The Tampen Orlando marketing co-op groups, which cover almost 40 clinics partnered with the team to highlight the benefit of routine chiropractic care for the loyal fan base in the surrounding community. Before I turn the call to Jake, I’d like to note that I’m excited that next week, we will welcome our new Chief Marketing Officer, with vast experience, franchise experience, she is an expert in digital marketing and building customer loyalty. We are excited to have her join the team as we implement our programs, including additional brand-building efforts with a focus on increasing new patient acquisition.

And with that, Jake, I’ll turn it over to you.

Jake Singleton: Thanks, Peter, and we will turn to Slide 8. As mentioned earlier, due to ongoing quarterly review procedures being performed in conjunction with the Joint’s independent public accounting firm. Management has postponed the issuance of its second quarter financial results as of June 30, 2023. The matter in question is related to our regional developer arrangements and would have a non-cash impact to the company’s financial statements. I will review our clinic comps for Q2 ‘23 compared to Q2 ‘22. System-wide sales for all clinics opened for any amount of time increased to $120.1 million, up 13%. System-wide comp sales for all clinics opened 13 months or more increased 5%. System-wide comp sales for mature clinics opened 48 months or more decreased 1%.

This comp reflects fewer than anticipated new patients at some of the more mature clinics. I can state that at June 30, 2023, our unrestricted cash was $13.6 million compared to $9.7 million at December 31, 2022. For the 6 months ended June 30, 2023, cash flow from operations was $8.4 million, including the receipt of the employee retention credits of $4.8 million in the first quarter. For the 6-month period, we invested $4.7 million in acquiring previously franchised clinics and the rights to an RD territory as well as ongoing greenfield clinics and upgrading existing clinics. Also, we continue to have access to additional cash through our line of credit with JPMorgan Chase. Today, we have drawn $2 million and have an additional $18 million available.

Due to the ongoing quarterly review procedures, I can’t provide financial guidance at this time. However, I can reaffirm our guidance for clinic openings is on track for 2023. For franchise clinics, we continue to expect openings to range between 100 and 120 compared to 121 in 2022. And for Greenfield clinics, we continue to expect to open a range of 8 to 12 compared to 16 in 2022. And with that, I’ll turn the call back over to you, Peter.

Peter Holt: Thanks, Jake. Turning to Slide 19 with the success of Joint’s national growth with over 900 clinics, we are entering new territory. With a portfolio of 135 corporate clinics, we have reached the natural stage where we will continually evaluate unit performance and respond as market and retail environments change. This entails considering selling certain clinics to franchisees, closing clinics and are relocating others due to the performance loss of an anchor store the strip center or changes in the local retail market. This analysis and execution has been softly and methodically and especially since we have a talented teams, lease obligations and other factors to consider. With that said, it’s important to note that we’re exiting certain clinics would be accretive and enable us to devote our key resources to more productive areas.

Also, as discussed on previous quarter end conference calls, we’re slowing down our greenfield strategy. We began to fulfill our outstanding lease obligations and then we will pass to assess strategic markets based on economics and demographics. Further, as Jake mentioned, we’re also focusing on general and administrative cost cutting initiatives. Finally, we’re implementing tactics to drive new patient acquisition. Let me start by saying our total new patients conversion is still strong at approximately 50% and up from around 45% pre-COVID. Also, our attrition remains low around 11% per month compared to the 12% to 13% in recent years. As such, we’re focused on increasing new patient leads. As noted in my marketing review earlier, we’re also building our national brand through digital, automated and traditional marketing.

While we’re managing this unusual economic environment, it’s critical to understand the underlying market fundamentals remain strong for our business, drivers of our long-term growth are compelling. Pain, opioid and obesity epidemic continue to plague our nation. Americans, particularly younger ones, which is our patient base are searching for natural, more holistic ways to treat pain and are spending about $19.5 billion a year on chiropractic care. Our clinic software doctors of chiropractic sustainable path to practice what they love and leverage our system-wide resources like staffing, productivity tools and more importantly, marketing. The whole system also benefits from frequent educational outreach efforts with associations and schools of chiropractic.

For example, a few weeks back, I enjoyed participating in the Texas Chiropractic Colleges 115th homecoming and next week with my team – with my team, we’re headed to the world’s largest event of chiropractic care, the national convention organized by the Florida chiropractic Association. We remain focused on what we control executing programs to improve clinic performance and to reduce G&A for our long-term profitable growth. The core of what we’re doing and the impact of our mission to improve quality of life routine and affordable chiropractic care is our guiding principle. I’d like to thank our community of doctors, wellness coordinators, franchisees, regional developers and employees for their passion and dedication. The team is committed to growing the overall chiropractic care market, educating the consumer about the efficacy of chiropractic, capturing a greater share in enhancing performance, all with the goal of fulfilling our mission.

And with that, MJ, I’m ready to take the Q&A.

Q&A Session

Operator: Thank you. [Operator Instruction] Today’s first question comes from Jeremy Hamblin with Craig-Hallum Capital Group. Please go ahead.

Jeremy Hamblin: Thanks. So I wanted to ask a question about the Aligned Franchisee Association, the AFA, which is now representing more than 50% of the franchise clinics. And just to understand a little bit more of the types of engagement that you’re having with AFA kind of what are the major discussion points and points of interest from the AFA and what you can share about how you’re working with them to help build the brand.

Peter Holt: Sure, Jeremy. I’ll take that question. Obviously, the AFA has formed in any organization, they can – in a franchise system and from time to time, you will see an independent franchise association form. We also have our National Franchise Advisory Board. This is made up of 9 members that are elected to that position, and that is our formal form of communication with our franchise community. Outside of, of course, I will take a call from any franchisee in our network. And so at this point that we really don’t have a formal relationship with the independent association that we believe that the National Franchise Advisory Board is the most appropriate form of communication and to address the issues and concerns that the association – the independent association has. And so that’s really kind of the approach that we’re taking to the situation.

Jeremy Hamblin: Okay. Got it. And then since it seems like maybe you’re limited in what you can discuss on this call, are you planning to have like a follow-up call after you issue kind of formal results? And can you discuss the time line in which you expect to have the matter resolved with the auditors in the more formal or more full release.

Jake Singleton: Yes. Jeremy, this is Jake. Yes, we’re disappointed we couldn’t release the financial results today due to the ongoing quarterly review procedures. There was a late question that came up around our regional developer arrangements. We know that, that’s going to have a non-cash impact, but we have some further documentation and procedures to get through to align on that. We know we have a 10-Q filing deadline on Monday and we are dedicating all resources to adhere to that. But yes, we would have an additional press release to release that information.

Jeremy Hamblin: But are you going to have an additional conference call?

Jake Singleton: We haven’t made that determination at this time.

Jeremy Hamblin: Okay. And is it fair to assume though that you would kind of definitively be wrapped up with reporting Q2 by the end of the month?

Jake Singleton: Yes, that is the goal. We’re down to a narrow range of ongoing issues. So like I said, we are dedicating all resources to address the issue and get our financial information out there as quickly as possible.

Jeremy Hamblin: Okay. Got it. Thanks, good luck.

Operator: Thank you. The next question comes from Jeff Van Sinderen with B. Riley. Please go ahead.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Yes, not to beat a dead horse here, but just maybe if there’s anything else you can shed light on related to the issue with your auditors, related to your RDs. Maybe what part of the financials might be impacted, sort of what is the heart of the issue there? And you said you’re planning to file the 10-Q by Monday, is that right? Or I’m a little confused when you said you get the results of by the end of the month. Thank you.

Jake Singleton: No. We know we have a filing deadline, a timely filing deadline for Monday, and we are doing everything we can to adhere to that time line. We do have unresolved issues that we have to work through. And so we know the urgency of the information, and we’re dedicating the resources to get out there. But yes, I’m shooting to hit that filing deadline on Monday. That’s absolutely true. The heart of the issue is around our regional developer arrangements. These were transactions that we’ve entered into in the past and a reacquisition that we executed in the quarter that we’ve also done in the past. We use similar accounting treatments that we’ve used in the past under previous audits. And there’s a new question that has arisen that we have to work through and get the documentation together to align with our outside accounting firm.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Okay. So it sounds like – correct me if I’m wrong here, but it sounds like it’s really more revolving around the reacquisition and other words if you not reacquired in the quarter. This issue probably would not come up. Am I correct on that?

Jake Singleton: That’s correct. Yes. Sometimes when you have the eyes, you get a new set of questions, and that’s what we had this time. And we got to make sure we have the appropriate documentation in place so that all parties can agree to release the financial information.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Okay, got it.

Peter Holt: Yes. Absolutely. Just to emphasize, it’s a non-cash issue. It is definitely just to make sure that we are complying with GAAP revenue terms.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Understood.

Jake Singleton: The flow of funds will be the same. It will really just be the GAAP accounting that sits behind that.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Okay. Got it. And then if you could maybe speak more about your plans for the mature corporate clinics. I think you highlighted that in the press release, just kind of what the performance has been there and what the threshold is to close some of them. I realize you guys have a very low closure rate. Maybe how many you expect to close? I know it’s a tough question now because you’re probably evaluating that. And then also just kind of as a follow-up to that, maybe touch a little bit more on the expansion reductions you’re looking into?

Jake Singleton: Yes, great questions. Can we categorize that more of a strategic review. And so I don’t have a strategic number or a target that we’re shooting for. We’re looking at that and how we’re allocating resources. And realizing we can be more efficient there.

Peter Holt: And then also just to be clear, Jeff, that these aren’t always closures that some of them can be sold to a franchise. In terms of just looking at our geographical spread, so there’s a lot of factors there that we’re really looking at. So that some could be will be sold off. Others will be sold, others can be relocated.

Jake Singleton: Yes. I don’t have a fixed number for you today, Jeff. We’re going through that process. We’ve identified a number of clinics already that are on kind of our action item list, if you will. So I do expect the mix of corporate and franchise to shift in accordance with that. Again, we’re going to be methodical with it, as we mentioned in the transcript. Realizing there’s a lot of factors that we have to consider. And I’ll reiterate Peter’s point that this is not an immediate closure exercise. This is potentially refranchising a portion of that. So what we do know is that we still have the vast majority of our corporate portfolio are profitable units. We have a good number of units that are still young units.

Obviously, we’ve gone through a pretty significant investing cycle in that space. And the fundamentals of the business are still strong. So we’re not abandoning the corporate approach by any means. This is a kind of a strategic optimization exercise, looking for those efficiencies in the portfolio and also realizing that we have issues to address, and we’re going to allocate our resources appropriately. As far as your G&A question, that’s, again, a strategic review. As we kind of pull back the scale of a portfolio, there’s some natural flow-through and trimming that can happen there and then also making sure that with the level of development and where we’re going to exert our effort that we’re finding the efficiencies in our G&A structure.

And so I think in periods where we’re looking to accelerate the profitability of the company. I think it’s only prudent to go back and look at your cost structures and make sure that they’re right sized for your organization. And that’s the exercise that we’re going to take on.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Okay. And then just as a follow-up to that, if I could. Can you tell us the difference in the comps between the corporate-owned clinics and the franchise clinics.

Jake Singleton: Yes, we don’t split that out. I think it was less than a 1% difference for the second quarter. So again, like we’ve said historically, we traditionally don’t see a large spread between the two, just given the model and some of its simplicity. So there’s not a material delta there in the second quarter or really in the first quarter. But obviously, when we have the full economics captured on our P&L, we just have a more outsized impact to our overall consolidated position just given the economics and the flow-through of the corporate unit versus the franchise.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Right. But that sort of speaks to if there’s only a 1% difference in your overall comp is 5%. That suggests that the corporate on clinics are still performing well and comping positive.

Jake Singleton: Yes. like I said, the fundamentals and the vast majority of our portfolio is still maturing. We still have profitable units that are out there. I don’t want it to come across that we’re doing something drastic here. This is absolutely a strategic review that we’re performing because the fundamentals of the business are still strong.

Jeff Van Sinderen: Right. And then that impact should be accretion. So that’s also very positive.

Jake Singleton: To the bottom line.

Jeff Van Sinderen: To the bottom line. Correct. Appreciate that. Thanks for taking my questions. I’ll take the rest offline.

Jake Singleton: Thanks, Jeff.

Operator: Thank you. [Operator Instructions] The next question comes from Thomas McGovern with Maxim Group. Please go ahead.

Thomas McGovern: Hi, guys. How are you doing? So just – I know you guys mentioned it briefly on the call, but I just wanted to make sure I have the numbers down. Could you guys just real quick review some of those KPIs you provide us with specifically the conversion attrition and retention rates?

Peter Holt: Sure. If you look at our system, there’s really three fundamental KPIs we really focus on. One is our new patients that we really track that very closely and that’s, of course, the very important source of the revenue for our clinics. The second one is conversion. And so when that new patient comes in, do they convert by buying a package or a membership and what I was saying is that our total conversion, so whether it’s a new patient or existing patient that converts, right now that’s running both for franchise and corporate right around 50% and if I compare that in a pre-COVID environment that we were running probably somewhere around 44%, 45% pre-COVID with that number. And then when we look at attrition, I said that it’s running roughly around 11% per month.

Actually corporate clinics are running a little better than that, I think under 10%. And that compares to, let’s say, 12% to 13% in recent years. So, you are seeing again an improvement overall in the attrition rate. The one area that we are really focused on, as I have mentioned in the call, is improving our new patient account. And that’s where the real focus is today and going forward.

Thomas McGovern: Great. Thanks for that color and that sounds like things are trending in the right direction there. And then my next question, could you provide a little bit more color on your digital marketing campaign? I know you guys went over it in the slide. Just kind of where you are at with that? And then maybe touch a little bit more on the issues you guys kind of solved with Meta?

Peter Holt: Sure. And if you look at just our whole new patient strategy, basically, we have three sources for new patients. One is referral. And what that is, is an existing patient has a great experience with the doctor, and they refer their friends and family to that doctor. And right now, about 30% of our new patients are coming directly from referral. The second increasingly more important is our digital marketing activity. And there is just a whole range of services that are supported by that, both organic and paid search. And so that right now, we have been able to measure that. Of our new patients that 63% of them at least have at some point, had touched us digitally. And we have a whole series of different programs and evolves over time that we are using.

And so for example, we have entered a new program or a new platform with TikTok. And I talked about how we started that in four markets. We have expanded to four more markets and we are seeing some really positive results with that. Meta, what was – Facebook is also an important source of new patients for us. And what we have found is that we have increased some of that Meta spend and that has in fact increased the number of leads that have come from that activity. So, that’s an area we are also focused. If we go back a little bit, we were spending a lot of time on YouTube, and that we would probably pull back a little bit on that. And because what you are finding in the 21st century is marketing changes so quickly. And the data that you have to drive your marketing becomes only more and more relevant.

So, one of the things that we have been finishing up is really updating our research on that whole patient journey. When it is one, but potential patient coming in, what’s the path they go, what are the messages they need in order to be able to be driven into the clinic. And so there is a lot of work that’s been done with that. And that research will then guide our marketing activities going forward. The third source for the new patients for us would be what I am going to just call that gorilla marketing activity. That’s typical of all small box retail because what you have got to do is educate that consumer that lives, travels and – live, travels and works within that 5-minute to 15-minute radius around that box that you are there when they need your product or service.

And so right now, let’s say about 25%, 30% of our new patient count is coming from that science or the coupon drop or the outreach to the gym or the school or the hospital or whatever is around that specific clinic. And so that’s kind of the overall source of our new patients.

Thomas McGovern: Got it. I appreciate that color. And then real quick before I hop back in the queue. If you guys – you mentioned again also on the call about some of your staff retention and briefly mentioned that you guys have a new initiative to increased staff retention. Can you guys just provide a little bit more color on where you are at this quarter versus last quarter and how you guys anticipate that to trend throughout the year? Thank you.

Jake Singleton: Yes. I think the way I would categorize that is the labor market is still tight. And for us, when you have two roles within your clinics, you have your doctor and your wellness coordinator, each are vitally important to the success of the clinic. And what we absolutely know is quality doctors is the lifeblood of what we do here. And so I think we will always have a strategic initiative focused on the retention of our employees, certainly our field employees. And so as you go through these economic times, we just have to be critically focused on that. And especially as we have the ambitious growth goals that we have, not only do you need to maintain the workforce that you have today, but also prepare yourself for future growth.

And I think that’s where all the successes and the initiatives that we have had with the schools and associations is really starting to pay off. And Peter mentioned a couple of those that we have attended or will be attending which is just only improving our position within the chiropractic space that will just help that retention and attraction of those doctors going forward.

Thomas McGovern: Awesome. Thank you, guys for taking my questions. I will hop back in queue.

Operator: Thank you. The next question comes from George Kelly with ROTH MKM. Please go ahead.

George Kelly: Hi everybody. Thanks for taking my questions. And apologies if these have been asked. I was – I wasn’t on the beginning part of your call. But first on the strategic review process on the portfolio, I was curious, could this very well – I mean is the entire portfolio kind of up for review? And could this lead to a sale of most of the units there? And then the second question on the same topic is what is the four-wall EBITDA of that portfolio?

Jake Singleton: Yes. No. The strategic review is just that, this is not a wholesale review of the portfolio. These are specific targeted clinics that are either in unique geographic areas. We have seen market dynamics change within the specific markets that they are operating in or they are underperforming. That could be part of that subset. We only have a handful of unprofitable clinics. And certainly, those are ones that you critically pay attention to, but this is not an indication that we are exiting a corporate strategy. This will be a smaller strategic review and really trying to optimize the portfolio that we have. If you look at the overall profitability of the units, those – as a whole, we are still seeing profitability into the 20%.

And then we have the outside the four-wall bleed that brings it down above that. So, we will be excited to release those full financial results and get you an update by segment. So, you can see how those are trending. We have seen sequential improvement quarter-over-quarter in the profitability of the units. So, again, this is not a wholesale exit, this is a strategic review of a subset of clinics, because really, we understand the importance of profitability in this environment, and we know that, that is affected by the performance of our corporate portfolio. It’s affected by the outside the four-wall G&A we have and the associated unallocated G&A that we have in this system, and that’s why we are going to take a strategic look at all of those to try to drive profitability into this organization moving forward.

Peter Holt: Yes, it’s a refinement, not a change in policy.

George Kelly: Okay. Then I guess I am bit surprised it’s gotten a lot of attention in the part of the call that I have listened to and in your press release. I mean isn’t that a normal course of business? What’s unique here about the review? I would think that you are always doing status checks on your locations. So, maybe I am off there, but I guess what – this seems to…?

Peter Holt: No, George, the point you are making is correct. I mean as an organization, we should be doing this every day, and we do, do that. And I think again, part of this is just – I will say that we have more than doubled the size of our portfolio over a relatively short period of time. And so much of that focus really was on the increasing of the portfolio as opposed to maybe a little more attention on kind of the existing portfolio and what we need to do with that. And so it’s really just recognizing as the portfolio goes in size and importance to the company that we have got to be much more focused on, and that’s really what we are seeing.

George Kelly: Okay. And then second question is on guidance. Did you provide any kind of update on your full year guidance?

Jake Singleton: No, I can’t give the financial metrics at this time. We certainly will update that, but we did do the openings guidance and reaffirmed the range for both franchise openings and the corporate greenfields.

George Kelly: Okay, great. And then last question for me is back to the cost savings and strategic review and everything. Is the cost savings initiatives that you are sort of targeting also outside of your own portfolio and said a different way, I look at your G&A, the unallocated corporate overhead, and there has been a lot of increase in that line in the last 2 years or 3 years. And I am curious if you are kind of looking at some of that and there could be savings there as well. And that’s all I had. Thank you.

Jake Singleton: Yes. That is part of the review and stepping back and looking at the overall infrastructure and G&A run rate in that unallocated bucket and doing what we can to optimize and reduce that run rate on a go-forward basis. And we are striving for leverage and profitability. And so we are going to do what we need to do to get there.

George Kelly: Okay. I am sorry, I guess I have one more. When do you expect to conclude this process? Is this something we could start to sort of see play through by year-end?

Jake Singleton: Yes, we are – we have started now, and we will continue to go through that exercise. As of right now, we are absolutely in the throes of strategic planning for 2024 and beyond. We will quickly align on our budgeting strategies for a go-forward basis. So, these are absolutely active discussions that we are having right now that will – some of them we are able to put in place now, and then we will look at what we can further find efficiency in as we move forward. So, I would say both, and I would say there is not a definitive timeline other than this is going to be an ongoing strategic focus for us.

George Kelly: Okay. Thanks.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Seeing no further questions, I would now like to turn the call back over to Peter Holt for closing remarks.

Peter Holt: Thank you, MJ. Before I close, I would like to note that we will be in New York City on September 14th, presenting and conducting meetings at the Lake Street Capital Markets Big7 Conference and the B. Riley Securities Consumer Conference. Our patient story today comes from Melanie, a Marine Corp veteran. During her service, Melanie would participate in our training and lasted up to 30 hours, often while carrying a significant amount of gear. She suffered lower back, upper back and neck injuries, which left her with the chronic pain. Seeking pain relief in 2017, Melanie joined at Joint and got into a full alignment, which made a difference in her daily life and enabled her to work out again. She claims that The Joint chiropractic care with giving her back both or giving back to her, both their physical body and the opportunity to do healthy things like hiking with her dog and supporting her mental well-being.

When asked to describe The Joint in one word, Melanie stated, life changing, because that’s how it helped her. Then realizing the two words, she says chiropractic is necessary. Thank you and stay well adjusted.

Operator: The conference has now concluded. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect your lines.