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Dr. Brian McNiece had always thought he would be a surgeon until he did a rotation as a physician in Jessup. That convinced him that his future lay in family medicine.

“I really thought that my future was being a general surgeon,� McNiece said. “But then I went to Jessup, and it all changed. I knew I wanted to care for people and be a part of a community.�

Now, heÐÔÊӽ紫ý the head of Clocktower Medical Group, which recently opened on Sixth Avenue in ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Rome.

McNiece moved to Rome when he was 9 years old and attended West End Elementary and Rome High School before getting a medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. His mother, Evie MacNiece, served a few terms on the city commission and as mayor.

After nine years practicing at Harbin Clinic, he decided to go out on his own, although he had to wait a year for his non-competition agreement to expire. It was Atrium Health FloydÐÔÊӽ紫ý purchase of the 150-year-old Harbin Clinic that was the sign he needed to start his practice, he said.

“When corporations take over healthcare, prices go up and patient care goes down,â€� McNiece said. “And thatÐÔÊӽ紫ý not the way I imagined myself operating.â€�

McNiece said he’d built a considerable patient list over the years and is happy that so many decided to move to his new practice.

But starting a new business came with some new challenges, he noted — like fixing a stuck door and disposing of trash.

“I like to say we practice medicine and we also practice building maintenance,â€� McNiece said. “ThereÐÔÊӽ紫ý always something to fix or replace; it never ends.â€�

The building also houses Clocktower Aesthetics, which is run by nurse practitioner Kelly Harbin. It offers a variety of skin treatments such as photo-facials, micro-needling, laser hair removal and Botox injections.

“We also carry the ZO line of medical-grade skincare products,� Harbin said. “We’re also happy how quickly Rome has embraced us.�

McNiece said his first several months since opening have validated his decision to move away from corporate medicine, and the pendulum is slowly swinging back to a more personal experience.

“We offer a quality of care that is hard to beat, and I think our patients would agree, he said.�