Partner Veterinary President Christine Stafford (left) and CEO Katie Brooks. (Image courtesy of Partner Veterinary)
Two companies serving four-legged customers are expanding their operations in the Richmond area.
Construction is underway for a locally-based Partner Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center at 1616 Three Chop Road, Goochland County East Road near Short Pump.
The new 20,000-square-foot emergency center is expected to cost $10.5 million to build and equip. The facility, which he plans to open in June 2023, will be an addition to Henrico’s first emergency care center at 6506 W. Broad St., which opened earlier this year.
The new clinic will provide 24-hour emergency care. The facility’s specialty care department will provide medical, oncology and surgical services, among others.
Partners initially sought to take over existing commercial space for emergency centers, but finding a facility of the right size proved difficult, said company president Christine Stafford.
“I thought I could find a shell because of the new coronavirus, but I searched for a year and couldn’t find it,” Stafford said. “We were just looking for space, and honestly, everywhere was open.”
Stafford decided to build from scratch on a Three Chopped parcel owned by a real estate investment group called Abyss for Rings, part owner. The group is covering his $8 million construction costs, and partners plan his $2.5 million capital investment. The partner rents the property.
Partner Veterinary has begun construction on a new first aid center in eastern Goochland.
Abis acquired 1.5 acres of land from LJP Properties for free in a transaction recorded with Goochland in early August, according to online county records. Stafford declined to comment on the structure of the deal.
The partners’ original emergency care center, which has been home to other veterinary clinics in the past, is owned by Willow 13 Properties and has a common investor with Abyss, Stafford said. However, once the emergency center is opened, we will continue to operate an emergency care facility there.
Partner has about 40 employees, and Stafford said the company plans to employ a total of about 70 people across the two locations within the next two years.
She said the company is seeing a lot of demand and plans to open additional emergency centers with in-house emergency care services in Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta.
“We have too many pets and not enough veterinarians,” she said.
Stafford said she and CEO Katie Brooks both have decades of experience in the industry. Stafford is not a veterinarian, but has experience in developing private veterinary practices and training leadership teams.
“We’ve both been doing this for a long time, but our industry needs new ownership. There’s a lot of consolidation going on with private equity groups,” Stafford said. . “It created a space for us to do something different.”
Florida-based pet boarding chain opens new store in Bon Air
Pet Paradise opened in October at 1214 Koger Center Blvd. at Bonair. (Photo credit: Pet Paradise)
Meanwhile, a large chain of facilities that combine pet boarding and veterinary practice has opened its doors to the Richmond-area outpost that took years to create.
Based in Jacksonville, Fla., Pet Paradise opened in October at 1214 Koger Center Blvd. Bonair.
The 16,400-square-foot location follows the company’s first local outpost, which opened in July at 4101 Williamsburg Road near Richmond International Airport.
The Chesterfield outpost is the company’s 52nd location, all of which are corporately owned.
“Our strategy is high-growth markets, which are primarily in the southeastern United States. We are in Charlottesville, but it was an acquisition. It’s the capital and has great growth and demographics,” said Fernando Acosta Rua, CEO of Pet Paradise.
Both locations in the Richmond area were built from the ground up. The company’s total investment in its locations ranges from $6 million to $7 million each, which includes land acquisition and construction, soft his costs, he said. .
Pet Paradise offers dog and cat day care, boarding and grooming services in addition to veterinary care. Pet Paradise location features an outdoor lawn area and swimming pool. The company’s in-house veterinary brand, NewDay Veterinary Care, has presence in both Richmond-area locations.
“Our model is exactly that: providing complete pet care under one roof,” says Acosta-Rua.
The company is interested in further expansion in the Richmond area, but Acosta-Rua declined to share details of what those plans look like.
Pet Paradise leases properties from Store Capital, an Arizona-based REIT. Pet Paradise identifies properties for expansion that Store Capital acquires and develops on behalf of its customers.
Pet Paradise was founded 20 years ago as a pet boarding company and has added additional services over the years. Veterinary services he started in 2017.
