My two partners (Dan and Ferdie) and I started Blue River PetCare with a clear vision 15 years ago of creating a company that would acquire veterinary practices in a manner that preserves the legacy owners had worked so hard to build. As a co-founder of the company, I know what it means to fully invest in your vision, and I know how much it means to watch that vision become a reality. When Blue River PetCare opened its doors in 2009, I could never have imagined where we’d be 15 years later.

That sense of pride and entrepreneurship is not only something I feel, but it’s also how the veterinarians who have sold their practices to us feel day in and day out. They’ve also built something from the ground up and have poured everything they have into the practices that have become staples of their communities.

When it comes time for those practices to begin their next chapter and identify a potential buyer to help carry on their legacy, it needs to be done right and, most importantly, it needs to be done with a great amount of care. That’s something we’ve been putting into practice since our very humble beginnings.

I still remember the very early days at Blue River when the three of us sat around a table hand-addressing the letters we sent to potential sellers via snail mail. I remember us spending our entire first year traveling all across the country but coming up short without any hospitals joining our company. I remember thinking early on that failure was a real possibility.  But, I also remember us having a lot of infectious optimism and a desire to keep going despite the setbacks. We all so passionately believed in Blue River and its potential, so we continued to get out there and tell our story.

In May 2010, over a year after we launched, our hard work finally paid off. We connected with two partners in Maryland who believed in us and sold us one of their practices (and it’s one of our best performing hospitals to date!). And then two months later, another owner who had originally told us no decided to sell to us. Those initial hospitals gave us some footing, but we only managed to acquire 10 hospitals over our first four years in operation.  By then, we had developed a reputation of service to our hospitals and living up to the personal commitments we made.  Word of mouth was powerful, and the care we took with each of our hospitals positioned us to generate future momentum.

I share all of this because our origin story has really shaped the way we operate today, and I think it draws a lot of similarities to the way many of our practice owners also got started. We understand the struggles of starting a business and the sacrifice it takes to stay the course. That’s why when we are getting ready to purchase a practice, we approach each sale with a people-first mentality that is deeply grounded in authenticity.

We have an undeniable passion for our hospitals, for our people, for our communities and of course, for the pets we serve. We’re involved, we care and we’ve built a large team of professionals (many from our own hospitals) dedicated to serving our network. We travel to town hall meetings to meet the entire hospital team to make sure we de-stress the transition process.

When hospitals join our network, if there’s a problem or a new opportunity, we’re there alongside our practices to work on those things.  And most importantly, we stay true to the philosophy we implemented at our inception: preserving the brand and legacy that our owners have worked so hard to build. Just like Blue River started out with the three of us being excited entrepreneurs, many of these practices started with just an owner and their spouse. They’ve established best-in-class medical care, become anchors of their communities and have grown successful local businesses. We are committed to preserving and honoring everything they’ve built and to working with them and their teams to continue providing great patient care and customer service to their local communities. It’s not just our responsibility, but our great privilege.

From our humble beginnings stuffing envelopes, traveling around the country and developing those personal relationships that created our strong foundation, we took great care in creating a company that still honors its roots while growing to over 200 locations. At the end of the day, we all have something in common – a shared and collective passion for our patients, as well as a vested interest in the success and longevity of each hospital.  The real magic of this company happens every day at each of our hospitals – our team members’ commitment to ensuring the health of beloved companion animals and to creating trusting relationships with their owners.  We are inspired by our hospital teams’ dedication and service to their communities, and we are committed to continuing our culture of care as we grow our hospital network.