Dan Blumenthal is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Blue River PetCare. As CEO, Dan prides himself on leading by example and treating everyone within the organization as a member of the family. Dedicated to fostering an environment of comradery and respect, Dan recognizes all practices across the organization and the people within them as clients, investing in the resources and development opportunities needed to ensure each practice has the ability to continue to provide excellent care to the patients and clients within their local communities.

Prior to starting Blue River PetCare in 2009, Dan gained deep knowledge and experience within the legal and venture capital space, beginning with his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Brandeis University and Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Professionally, Dan gathered experience from his time at Latham & Watkins, Continental Illinois Venture Corporation, and Willis Stein & Partners, which he uses today to lead Blue River, working closely with all departments across the corporate team on a daily basis. But Dan’s favorite activity is going to Blue River practices, and those that are not yet part of the Blue River family, and spending time visiting with the healthcare providers in the field.

When Dan is not serving as Blue River’s chief pet lover, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters or catching a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field.

Roy Jain is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Blue River PetCare. As Chief Operating Officer, Roy focuses on ensuring that Blue River fulfills the company's mission to be the most user-friendly acquirer of animal hospitals in the country and oversees the day-to-day operations of the entire organization. Since Blue River began in 2009, Roy has had the opportunity to fulfill almost all of the roles present on the corporate team – from doing outbound marketing calls to recruiting personnel of all levels for our animal hospitals to laying out the strategic roadmap that led Blue River to what it is today, Roy has done it all. Roy has a deep understanding of how the organization works and what it takes to truly provide the user-friendly experience Blue River is known for to the hospitals across the network.

Roy enjoys working directly with our family of hospitals to develop strategies for ongoing growth and has a tremendous amount of understanding and respect for what practice owners have built. He understands that for practice owners, selling their business is not strictly a financial transaction, it’s about finding a long-term home for their practice that will continue to honor their unique culture and serve as a trusted home for their community of employees, clients, and patients. Roy's leadership ensures that everyone at Blue River shares his passion for delivering the best patient care and client service to our local communities.

Prior to starting Blue River, Roy held roles in investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston and in private equity investing at Willis Stein and Partners, where he and co-founder Dan Blumenthal worked together. He received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BA in Mathematical Methods in Social Sciences and Economics from Northwestern University. Roy has volunteered at Northwestern University to teach business concepts to undergraduate students—and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for their private equity class. He developed and currently teaches a RACE-accredited veterinary practice economics curriculum, which has benefitted practice owners and the industry. During his downtime, Roy loves learning about American history and is also a big fan of Chicago's sports teams.

Amy Ward is the Chief Financial Officer at Blue River PetCare. Originally joining the team as a Senior Accountant in 2015, Amy has played a tremendous role in the development and management of the Accounting and Payroll teams, as well as the processes used today to provide in-depth financial support to hospitals across the organization. Amy’s dedication to supporting both the corporate and hospital teams, as well as her professional expertise, have allowed her career to grow along with the company, serving as Blue River’s Controller and Vice President of Finance before taking on her current role of CFO.

In addition to overseeing the company’s financial division, Amy is passionate about providing growth opportunities for junior team members, taking pride in watching them take on new roles and responsibilities at Blue River. She is always focused on enhancing the company culture, with a daily mindset that's focused on supporting our partners in the field, finding ways to streamline processes and make their life easier.

Amy received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University and holds a Certified Public Accountant certification. During her free time, Amy enjoys spending time with her family and enjoying all the great things Chicago has to offer.

Ferdie Schmitz is the Chief Financial Officer Emeritus and Co-Founder of Blue River PetCare. Throughout his time as the company's CFO, Ferdie used his deep leadership experience in accounting to oversee the Finance, Accounting, and Human Resources functions of the organization, ensuring our partners in the field received best-in-class service from our corporate team.

Prior to beginning his career in accounting, Ferdie received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, as well as his CPA certification. From there, Ferdie went on to serve as an executive at several firms, including Ernst & Young, Lifeguard HMO, and Paradigm Health.

Aside from the extensive professional experience he brings to Blue River, Ferdie is well-known for his positive attitude about life, which inspires the company daily. During his free time, Ferdie enjoys staying active and spending time with his family, including his two pups, Chomper and Chewey.

Kim Rovtar is Blue River’s General Counsel who joined the team in 2019 to lead and expand the company’s Legal department. In addition to serving as head of the Legal team, Kim oversees the negotiation and documentation process during new clinic acquisitions and provides guidance and counseling in support of all compliance and operations initiatives. Kim’s experience allows her to offer a keen legal perspective across all of Blue River's contracting matters, including vendor contracts, real estate, and employment agreements. She enjoys the passion of our culture and is proud of the collaborative environment that supports our clinics and teams.

Prior to the start of her legal career, Kim earned both her Juris Doctor and her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her husband and their three daughters, often on the water at their Michigan lake house. She prides herself on serving as a strong working mother and professional female role model to her young daughters to help them understand they can achieve their dreams with hard work.

Brian Melton joined the Blue River team in 2020 to develop and lead Blue River’s Analytics team, simplify processes for gathering data, and leverage technology to create efficiencies for the entire organization. Serving as the Vice President of Analytics, Brian is committed to ensuring that processes and technologies used across the organization are focused on helping our practices grow and thrive.

Brian earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Cabrini University, followed by his Master of Business Administration in Finance from Drexel University. He's passionate about continually advancing a company-wide strategic planning process that leads the industry and helps Blue River's teams move forward together. When he has downtime, Brian loves to travel and watch sports, describing himself as a long-suffering fan of Philadelphia sports teams.

Keith Waltisperger is Blue River PetCare’s Vice President of Business Development. Having originally joined the organization as a practice manager in 2012, Keith brings an in-depth understanding of the veterinary industry and the unique challenges faced by veterinary practice leaders to his role as head of Blue River’s Business Development team.

Taking pride in Blue River’s user-friendly approach, Keith spends the majority of his time working alongside veterinary practice owners in finding the right opportunity to help them achieve their personal goals and extend the legacy of their practice. As part of his role, Keith oversees the financial evaluation process associated with a practice sale and helps sellers understand their practice's current value and best path forward to achieving their financial goals.

Prior to beginning his career, Keith earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas State University, which eventually led to managing several large veterinary practices, including both general practice and emergency. When Keith isn't working, he's an avid outdoorsman who loves to head out to the woods for some technology-free moments with his two young boys.

Laurie Eiseman is Blue River’s Vice President of Human Resources, leading the company’s human resources group, bringing best practices and experienced counsel on all Human Resource-related matters. In addition to leading the broader HR team, Laurie’s role includes partnering with hospitals across the organization to assist in the development of policies that acknowledge their concerns and suggestions, as well as providing access to general industry and business knowledge that helps them grow professionally.

Blue River benefits daily from Laurie's experience in various industries, including consumer product goods, manufacturing, and retail. She's a leader in employee relations, benefits and compensation, HRIS, project management, legal mitigation and compliance, policy/process development, learning, and recruitment and staffing.

Prior to the start of her HR career, Laurie earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management at Purdue University (Go Boilermakers!). Laurie loves being part of a company with a mission that resonates personally with her and all her co-workers. When she's not focused on her work at Blue River, she reads and stays fit with regular Barre DanceFIT workouts.

Phil Lator serves as Blue River’s Vice President of Operations, originally joining the team as its Controller in 2014. As the leader of the corporate Operations team, Phil plans, coordinates, and oversees operational activities in the organization, ensuring development and implementation of efficient operations and cost-effective systems to meet current and future needs of the organization. He oversees vendor management, procurement, and system capabilities, and works with our Chief Operating Officer to establish, implement, and communicate a strategic vision that drives growth and profitability. He also manages capital equipment purchases and construction projects.

Phil received both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Accounting from Michigan State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and started his career in public accounting. Phil enjoys being part of a growing organization and takes pride in building relationships with team members in the Chicago office, veterinarians and managers in the field, and industry leaders. He believes positive patient outcomes will lead to healthy and happy pets, satisfied customers, employees who are proud of where they work, and a company that is both profitable and respected in the field.

In his personal time, Phil loves being with his family and getting outside—golfing, boating, skiing, hiking, and fishing. He's a fan of Michigan State sports and is also involved in his church.

Priscilla Cherry is the Vice President of Operations & Talent Acquisition at Blue River PetCare. Priscilla joined the BRP team in 2016, bringing with her several years of experience within the veterinary and human healthcare space. Throughout her time at Blue River, Priscilla has utilized her industry experience to develop and lead both the Field Operations and Talent Acquisition teams, guiding both teams in the development of the processes used today to provide exceptional support to all Blue River practices.

Priscilla is passionate about developing team members at every level of the organization and fostering healthy, well-managed practices that grow and thrive. One of Priscilla’s favorite aspects about working for Blue River is the respectful and encouraging culture created by the company’s founders — and attributes the company’s positive environment for helping develop her career.
In addition to her professional experience, Priscilla earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Indiana University, followed by her Master of Business Administration from Davenport University. Priscilla is a major advocate for special needs and geriatric animal rescue efforts and programs, and in her free time, can be found spending time with her own special needs rescue pets.