QUESTIONS?

Roughly translated from Gaelic, Achara means, “Hey Friend!” Let’s be honest – you like pets and we like pets. We should definitely be friends. And friends care for each other. We’re here for YOU. (And also the puppies and kittens.)

Once upon a time, there was a really cool Irish guy (Dermot Jevens) who loved caring for patients, their owners, and building teams and he happily practiced veterinary medicine for 26 years. He even owned his own practice for TWENTY of those years! One day, he sold his practice and started working for a large corporation that talked about building enduring veterinary teams.

As is so often the case, things did not work out the way he expected them too. His experience in corporate veterinary medicine showed him the many challenges veterinary care teams faced when owned by large corporations. Not to be dramatic, but it was clear to him that the vet industry was on an unsustainable path with never-ending demands for higher profits and shrinking concerns for those dedicated warriors providing veterinary care and the animals and clients who depend on them. Okay…maybe that’s a little bit dramatic. But the truth is, the veterinary industry is broken. Veterinary professionals, care teams, our clients and their pets all deserve better.

At roughly the same time, on the complete other side of the country, another pretty cool NOT-Irish guy (Stanford Bell) was working on a plan to help veterinarians actually own their very own clinics.

A chance encounter between the two, ironically in the middle of the country, was the beginning of a natural friendship. They quickly set to work combining both of their visions together. If you are imagining one late night leading to another, empty jerky wrappers and juice boxes strewn about and a whole montage of crumpled papers that finally culminates in a singular EUREKA type moment…I’ll be honest… it didn’t quite happen that way. But it would have made for a good story.

Through meticulous brainstorming, planning, discussions, and lots of walking of dogs, the two of them created a thoughtful and balanced new approach. They determined that the only way to empower the veterinary care teams, to protect the industry and champion the health and well-being of all individuals – both the 2 and 4 legged varieties – was to put the power back in the hands of veterinarians.

But wait!! That’s A LOT to put on the shoulders of an already over-worked and under-rested DVM you say? We know, we know. We’re getting there. These two really cool guys (Dermot and Stanford) recognized that if this was really going to work, they would need to provide the business and financial support that veterinarians need and deserve.

(Our favorite part is this next bit.)

So they got together a bunch of other really cool people that were pretty good at thinking and helping and doing their jobs and also loved animals and people. And they became the AcharaVet Team. We’re here to help!

ALSO… we feel like you should know… Stanford and Dermot also realized something pretty important in those early days. They knew that they would need investors that were more interested in being a force for good than they were in making a quick buck.

We are proud to say that a majority of AcharaVet is owned by veterinarians – veterinarians that have watched the industry move away from practitioners and into the hands of private equity and venture capital firms that have no experience working in a veterinary practice. Our goal is to return the balance between people, purpose, and profitability, and give back to the community that has given so much to us.

Besides the fact that our CEO is not afraid to dance a little bit of an Irish jig in public?

We recognize that the motivation behind the money matters. And there are A LOT of companies buying veterinary practices that are simply looking for a quick profit. They get money from private equity and venture capital firms, buy as many practices as they can, try to squeeze each clinic for a higher percentage of profits, and then sell the group of practices to a larger investor within five years. All of this increases the pressure on the teams practicing veterinary medicine.

AcharaVet is different.

We choose to partner with veterinarians that want to build and grow their own clinic. We work alongside you to help you create a thriving practice and community. We are majority owned by veterinarians who are looking to give the industry back to those that actually practice veterinary medicine. We see you as our partners and as part of our team instead of as a quick profit. We see you as our friend. (But don’t worry – we’re not going to ask you to help us move a couch up five flights of stairs.)

PLEASE join us in making a difference in the veterinary community!! We believe that the best clinics are run by the people who are actually IN THE CLINICS, working every day. (I know, it seems crazy when you say it out loud.) We’ll set you up by sharing the best practices and principles to help you understand how other clinics have succeeded. We also offer the education and support you might need to manage all the new adventures that come with running your own clinic, all while maintaining as few companywide policies as possible to make everyone successful! Our honest hope is that each clinic becomes a community built by the people that work there.

Each new clinic is given new equipment from the top manufacturers and distributors.