Luxury suites for dog boarding Most nights, Pate and his team could hang a sign out front for their boarding service and five luxury suites.
“To expand, we had to tear down our old kennel. So while the new clinic was being built, we were down to 10 runs. So for a while, we could hospitalize, but couldn’t do boarding. Once the clinic reopened, business popped right back.” Customers like the glass doors on the luxury suites and the kennel runs, the memory foam and the regular walks. “This is just light years ahead of where we were. The VSSI stainless steel runs have a really good look.”
It’s all about the animals West Rome Animal Clinic now is one of a few cat friendly practices in a 50-mile radius. They also have a separate section of the clinic specifically dedicated to sick animals. That section has separate lines for waste, separate fans and air conditioning units and at the end of the day, the ones who benefit are the animals and the clinic’s clients.
Ready to expand In the back of his mind, Pate had planned to expand even further at some point – perhaps 10 years down the road. However, that time has come now. “Thanks to Michael Reynolds, we already have the space to expand. We have an area where we could build a couple more walls, get it heated and air conditioned and will start on that fairly soon.”
Running the numbers “Caring for animals of course comes first. But at the end of the day, if you don’t make a profit, you’re not going to help anybody.” Pate confesses to always being a fiscally conservative person, a trait he believes he shares with others drawn to the veterinary field. Add to that the recession, when everyone was hit hard, and Pate continued to question the numbers. While his wife was convinced that “If you build it, they will come” would work, Pate wasn’t. Until it happened. “I’ve had no cut in my pay check and I’ve been making double payments on my loan,” said Pate. “We had a good reputation for our veterinary care. But our old clinic wasn’t anything that would make a person say, ‘Wow!’” The new clinic does. Walk-in traffic has increased.
“Perception is reality. People see a modern clinic and they assume we are high quality and state of the art. And we are.”
Long-term view “Patterson has the long-term view of helping their doctors take that step, like I did, and they hold our hand and walk us through this and business increases – that is the partnership they offer. And in the end, the animals are doing better.”
Pate credits Patterson courses for having the foresight to let doctors spend a couple of days getting their hands on the equipment and having one-to-one conversations with experts. GPS is offered at locations across the United States and Canada, so you, too, can get a hands-on experience and talk with others who have made the leap.
After all, your building reflects who you are as a doctor. “What we want is more good years together. I want animals healthy and around as long I can. I get to help people enjoy these years together. It’s a great profession.”PT
10 pattersontoday | Spring 2016
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