Dr. Stephanie Mueller grew up in a small farm town in Southern Illinois, where she developed an early passion for healthy living. She earned her degree in Biological Science at Southeastern Louisiana University, where she also played Division I volleyball and minored in Chemistry. Her path to medicine took her even farther south — to the Caribbean Island of Grenada — for medical school at St. George’s University.

She completed her clinical training in both the United States and the United Kingdom before finishing a pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She later became a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a distinction that reflects her commitment to ongoing education and advocacy for children and families.

“The quality of care from a private practice is more significant,” Stephanie said. “We care more about the patient, and we give better quality care because it’s not about the bottom dollar.”

Drawn to the South during her years of study, Stephanie hoped to one day run an independent practice of her own. During residency, she forged a partnership with Plateau Pediatrics in Crossville, Tennessee. The clinic had just opened a satellite location — Firefly Pediatrics — in Dayton, and Stephanie was hired to lead it, with the intention of eventually purchasing the practice once it became self-sustaining.

With only one other pediatrician in the area, the need was urgent. Demand surged, and Firefly earned designation as a Rural Health Clinic (RHC) — a federal certification that increases access to care in rural areas. RHC status not only enables clinics to receive enhanced reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid but also plays a vital role in ensuring that rural families can access primary care.

When it came time to purchase the clinic, Stephanie turned to Jeff Brown at The Biz Foundry, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs. While confident in her clinical skills, she quickly realized that owning a business required an entirely different knowledge base.

“It’s difficult because none of us have any degree of education in owning a business and how to start a business,” Stephanie said. “All of our education is medical, so we’re kind of afraid to do it too because we don’t have the resources at our fingertips to open our own practice.”

Financing was another challenge. With student loan debt and no collateral, traditional bank loans weren’t accessible. Jeff connected her with Debra Williams, Area Director of Lending at Communities Unlimited (CU), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that takes a holistic approach to evaluating borrowers.

With CU’s support, and additional funding from Fund Tennessee and SmartBank, Stephanie was able to purchase Firefly Pediatrics. The acquisition included all inventory, furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE); accounts receivable (A/R); and an established patient base.

“Without this loan, I wouldn’t have been able to purchase the business,” she said.

Since taking ownership, Stephanie has expanded services, added two new providers, and hired several support staff — creating meaningful jobs and deepening Firefly’s impact in Dayton, a community of more than 7,000 people.

“I’m hoping over the course of the next year, we will be able to start thinking about getting out of this space and into one that hopefully we will have a mortgage on rather than rent,” Dr. Mueller said.

Dr. Stephanie Mueller set out to practice medicine on her own terms — and in Dayton, she’s made that dream a reality. Firefly Pediatrics has become more than a clinic. It’s a cornerstone of the community and a shining example of what’s possible when vision meets the right support.

With her leadership and partnerships with CU, Fund Tennessee, and others who believed in her, Firefly is delivering on the promise of personalized, high-quality care in rural Tennessee.