1-800-ASK-GARY

In Minneapolis' close-knit personal injury industry, some veteran attorneys were shocked by the level of advertising that 1-800-ASK-GARY started doing.

For years, just a few personal injury law firms have dominated accident law and done the most advertising in the Twin Cities, according to Jim Schwebel, president of Schwebel Goetz & Sieben, one of Minnesota's top-spending law firms.

But in just a few years in the market, 1-800-ASK-GARY appears to be at least matching Twin Cities leaders in ad dollars.

"What is he mining, gold?" asked Jim Schwebel, president of the roughly 40-year-old Minneapolis law firm. "How can he spend money like that?"

To locals, 1-800-ASK-GARY is known for its iconic commercials, especially those starring spokeswoman Roz. Interest in the company soared last week when it announced it had purchased naming rights for the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The deal is believed to have cost the hotline about $387,500 a year.

Behind the scenes is an accident clinic chain that has grown beyond its Florida roots. Physicians Group LLC, 1-800-ASK-GARY's less catchy formal name, now has 46 clinics in Florida and nine in Minnesota, according to Physicians Group's Web site. It also has at least a few clinics in Kentucky, but it wasn't clear this week how many it has there.

Company representatives did not respond to interview requests. However, it appears the company is trying to duplicate its Florida success in Minnesota, where the no-fault insurance system may be more lucrative for accident treatment providers than in Florida.

1-800-ASK-GARY is the brainchild of Gary Kompothecras, 50, a Sarasota chiropractor and close friend and fundraiser for Gov. Charlie Crist.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Kompothecras perfected his business model: treat auto accident victims and bill their no-fault, or personal injury protection, insurance for payment. Then, advertise heavily to bring in customers.

Under Florida law, every driver must carry $10,000 of no-fault insurance. The system was set up so that accident victims could turn to their own auto insurance companies for medical costs, without having to sue the opposing driver.

Kompothecras created a complete accident clinic with orthopedic doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists and other care providers, rather than just chiropractors.

When accident victims call 1-800-ASK-GARY, operators often will direct people to Physicians Group's clinics. They also will direct people to hundreds of personal injury attorneys in its referral network.

Why don't the 1-800-ASK-GARY ads mention the accident clinic company?

Paul Wilson, who runs an ad agency called Wilson Media & Advertising in St. Petersburg and has done 1-800-ASK-GARY ads for years, said the company doesn't want to include too many messages in its commercials.

"We have such an indelible mark with 1-800-ASK-Gary," Wilson said. "You seldom mingle two brands."

As Kompothecras kept adding clinics around Florida, stretching from Naples to Jacksonville, he also racked up critics, particularly insurance companies that accused Physicians Group of charging exorbitant medical fees. Because his company didn't accept traditional health insurance, it didn't have to negotiate its rates with insurance companies as most doctors do.

1-800-ASK-GARY might have suffered a crippling blow in the fall of 2007.

At the time, insurance companies such as State Farm and other critics of no-fault insurance were lobbying hard to kill the insurance system. Some watched closely to see if Kompothecras' ties to Crist would help his cause in saving no-fault.

Eventually, the Legislature renewed mandatory no-fault insurance but put restrictions on how much healthcare providers could charge for auto accident treatment. No longer could they set their own rates. Fees were capped at 200 percent of what is allowed under Medicare.

Last week, state Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, who had tried to replace no-fault with a different system, said she didn't know if Kompothecras had much political pull. Despite Crist's close friendship with Kompothecras, the governor really didn't drive the insurance debate, Bogdanoff said.

Physicians Group is a private company and its revenues aren't known, but it seems to have survived insurance reform intact. Just before the 2007 insurance reform, the clinic chain had 42 offices and clinics in Florida, and today it has 46. It also has expanded out of state.

Still, a 1-800-ASK-GARY competitor insists that the reforms to no-fault insurance stung the industry.

Lenny Linardos, a chiropractor who runs the 1-877-ASK-KOBY hotline, estimates his accident treatment fees fell by 30 percent after the reforms. He has stayed afloat because he's taking in more patients.

Linardos is skeptical of the new 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre deal.

"How many big events do they really have there to warrant paying what he must be paying?" he said.

On a personal note, Kompothecras has become a vocal advocate for autistic children. He has two autistic children and believes thimerosal, a preservative used in some vaccines, contributed to his children's condition, said Ven Sequenzia Jr., president of the Autism Society of Florida.

"Personally, I think he's very passionate. I think he cares," Sequenzia said.

When Physicians Group moved into Minnesota wasn't clear this week, but it has caught the attention of personal injury lawyers there, said Schwebel, the Minneapolis attorney. For years, just a few law firms in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have dominated the airwaves, with each spending $400,000 to $600,000 a year on advertising.

Based on the amount of 1-800-ASK-GARY ads he has seen, Schwebel believes Physicians Group quickly may have exceeded that level. Schwebel's firm does not receive client referrals from 1-800-ASK-GARY, and competition from lawyers that get 1-800-ASK-GARY referrals has not eaten into his firm's revenues, he said.

It's not surprising Physicians Group would target Minnesota, Schwebel said. Where Florida requires people to get $10,000 in no-fault insurance, Minnesota requires $20,000 and that provides more potential revenue for accident clinics, he said.

Minnesota state Rep. Paul Kohls, R-Victoria, has tried to reform that state's no-fault system because he believes it is widely abused and leads to higher insurance rates. Kohls is a lawyer who used to do insurance defense, so he isn't impartial.

Unlike in Florida, where treatment companies now are limited in how much they can charge, the system is more wide open in Minnesota.

"It's basically full payment, and it's the only thing they get full payment for," Kohls said.