OUR FOUNDERS

CATHERINEMATTHEWS

Owner & Co-CEO

Engineer. Entrepreneur. Operator. Builder. Catherine Matthews co-founded Lansing Urgent Care alongside her husband, Dr. Terry Matthews, with a belief that excellent healthcare should be both highly efficient and deeply human.

9+ Convenient Locations
Care close to home.

Short Wait Times
Get in. Get out. Get better.

Most Insurance Accepted
Care made easy.

Telemed Visits Available
Care wherever you are.

OUR STORY

The Original Story
& 20 Years Later

What started with a bold idea, a newly married couple, and a team of just four has grown into something far greater than Terry and Catherine Matthews could have imagined. The story of Lansing Urgent Care is one of family, hard work, community, and a belief that healthcare should always feel human. Twenty years later, those same values remain at the heart of who we are.

A Bold Beginning

In their first year of marriage, Catherine’s husband Terry came home with what he thought was a brilliant idea: open a healthcare business. Most couples at that stage are still arguing about paint colors or whose turn it is to do the dishes. Catherine and Terry decided to launch a healthcare company instead.

It was bold. It was slightly terrifying. It was fueled by optimism and probably a level of confidence only newlyweds possess.

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But underneath the leap was a simple belief: healthcare should feel human.

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A Family Foundation

When they founded Lansing Urgent Care in August 2006, the mission was not simply to treat coughs and broken bones. It was to create a place where patients feel heard, respected, and genuinely cared for. Just as importantly, they wanted to build a workplace where team members feel valued, empowered, and proud to show up every day.

Because culture is not a poster on the wall. It is how people feel on a Monday morning.

In the beginning, there were just four people running the clinic: Terry, Catherine, her mom Margaret, and her dad Gus. They worked side by side wearing multiple hats and doing whatever needed to be done.

From day one, Lansing Urgent Care had a true family feel, not because it was a slogan, but because it actually was one.

Catherine’s mom retired from her nursing career to help launch the clinic, bringing clinical experience, nursing excellence, and compassion to those early days. Her dad worked at the front desk, welcoming patients with warmth and conversation. Proud of his Greek heritage, he especially enjoyed speaking Greek with Greek patients, instantly making them feel at home.

Margaret and Gus played an integral role in the early success of the business, helping establish the culture of care, connection, and hospitality that continues to define the organization today.

What began as a single clinic has grown to eight locations, with a ninth opening soon in Holt, and more than 200 jobs created within the Lansing community. Growth has been exciting, but for Catherine, scale has never been the real win. Trust is. Impact is. Building something that lasts is.

Four People. One Clinic.

“In the beginning, everyone did what needed to be done.”

Catherine Matthews

Operations & Co-Founder

Dr. Terry Matthews

Physician & Co-Founder

Margaret Peponis

Nurse & Catherine’s Mother

Gus Peponis

Front Desk & Catherine’s Father

Partnership in Performance

Catherine and Terry are a truly complementary partnership.

Terry brings deep medical expertise, a passion for patient care, and a bedside manner patients consistently rave about. Catherine brings systems thinking, operational discipline, and a healthy obsession with improving efficiency. If there is a better way to do something, she will find it and likely create a spreadsheet about it.

Together, they have proven that compassion and performance do not compete. They amplify each other.

Terry

Medical expertise, passion for patient care, and a bedside manner patient rave about.

Catherine

Systems thinking, operational discipline, and a healthy obsession with improving efficiency.

Leading Through Crisis

Then came 2020.

When COVID reached Michigan, Lansing Urgent Care immediately got to work. At a time when access to care was limited and uncertainty was high, LUC became one of the few places in the Lansing region where patients could receive both testing and treatment. The mission to make healthcare feel human suddenly carried even greater weight.

Catherine played a key role in launching and operating a large scale vaccine drive through clinic in partnership with the Ingham County Health Department and Michigan State University. Leveraging her operational background, she helped design and streamline processes to increase efficiency, reduce wait times, and safely serve thousands of patients.

In a season defined by crisis, her focus remained on systems, coordination, and execution. Because when the stakes are high, efficiency is not just about productivity. It is about people.

2006

The Beginning

One bold idea.
A lifetime of impact.

9+

Locations

Across Greater
Lansing & Beyond

200+

Jobs Created

Empowering careers.
Strengthening our Community.

20+

Years of Care

And a commitment
that never stops.

Expanding the Vision

In 2020, Catherine and Terry expanded their work in healthcare with the launch of Skin Boss Med Spa.

After years of helping patients feel better through urgent care, they saw an opportunity to help people feel confident and look their best as well. Skin Boss quickly became one of the region’s most recognized medical spas, earning the 2022 Greater Lansing Entrepreneurial Award and being named a 2023 Top 50 Company to Watch by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

Across both brands, the mission remains consistent: care deeply, operate with excellence, and deliver experiences that make people feel seen, supported, and confident whether they are walking in not feeling their best or walking out glowing.

In Her Words

Building Lansing Urgent Care has never simply been about growing a company. It has been about creating a place where patients feel cared for, employees feel valued, and our community knows we are here when they need us.

Catherine Matthews

Owner & Co-CEO

Entrepreneurship • Family • Legacy
A Family of Builders

In the fall of 2021, entrepreneurship became even more personal when the Matthews family launched The Speed Collection alongside their son, Cole.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Cole shares a love for cars and an entrepreneurial drive that suggests this may, in fact, be genetic.

The venture reflects the family’s belief that building something together is one of life’s greatest privileges.

Recognized for Entrepreneurship

Michigan’s Top 50 Companies to Watch

Greater Lansing Entrepreneurs of the Year in Healthcare

2025 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Regional Finalists

While the awards are meaningful, the greater responsibility has always been building organizations rooted in integrity, accountability, innovation, and heart.

Engineering Excellence

Catherine graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan with a degree in engineering.

She began her career in GE’s prestigious Engineering Leadership Program, holding seven roles, relocating four times, traveling to 44 states and 15 countries, and leading initiatives that generated $35 million in savings and more than one million person hours in productivity gains.

She is a Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Healthcare certified because inefficiency has never really been her thing.

Catherine remains deeply committed to the community, supporting the Greater Lansing Food Bank and serving as a proud member of the Lansing Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Grace, Curiosity & Momentum

Catherine holds dual United States and United Kingdom citizenship, and childhood trips to England helped spark her lifelong love of travel.

When she is not building companies, she can often be found traveling somewhere new, practicing Latin and ballroom dance, or experimenting in the kitchen.

Because whether in business, medicine, aesthetics, or dance, she believes the same principle applies:

Lead with confidence.
Stay light on your feet.
And do not be afraid to pivot when the music changes.

Lead with confidence.
Stay light on your feet.
And don’t be afraid to
pivot when the
music changes.

Catherine Matthews

Owner & Co-CEO

Walk in today or
be seen from home.
No appointment needed at any of our nine convenient locations or through Telemed.
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Healthcare is our Specialty

Whether it’s a sprain, sore throat, or school physical, Lansing Urgent Care is here for life’s unexpected moments. Our skilled medical team offers a wide range of walk in services so you can get quality care, close to home, without the long wait or high cost of the ER.

Cuts, Wounds & Procedures

Burns, cuts, stitches, and
minor procedures with fast treatment to help you
heal quickly.

Injury & Pain Care

Sprains, strains, minor fractures, and sudden pain with on site X ray and expert care without the emergency room wait.

Occupational & Employer Services

Work injuries, drug screens, physicals, and employer programs with efficient care that keeps your team moving.

Physicals & Exams

Sports, school, and work
physicals with walk in
availability any day and no appointment needed.

Testing & Diagnostics

On site diagnostic imaging and rapid testing with fast results to give you clear answers during your visit.

On-site Medications

One Visit. Complete Care. Get the evaluation and treatment you need, with medications available on site when appropriate.

Virtual Care

See a provider from home
with convenient online visits
for common illnesses and
follow-ups.
Save your spot.
Get seen sooner!
Check in online and we’ll hold your
place in line. No appointment needed
at any of our 9 locations.
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