Urban Animal will transition into a worker cooperative, allowing the 110 people employed at its three Seattle veterinary hospitals to share in the decision making and profits.
“The veterinary industry is in the eye of a perfect storm due to factors such as employee burnout and private equity buyouts, which are diminishing the number of qualified veterinary professionals,” said Urban Animal founder Dr. Cherri Trusheim. “Urban Animal is presenting this groundbreaking solution to set the bar for the industry and beyond.”
Urban Animal’s business structure will be a limited cooperative association (LCA), a set-up that would make it the first veterinary practice of its kind in Washington. The state has about 30 other businesses operating as cooperatives.
Dr. Trusheim said she aims to empower her employees and ensure the three hospitals, which have more than 50,000 clients, remain locally owned and community-minded.
“This model will empower our team to drive the business forward while also making sure that we’re benefiting through fair salaries, learning opportunities and governance over our work environment,” said Urban Animal client liaison Mollyrose Dumm. “With nationwide staffing shortages at all levels of veterinary care, a worker co-op model will hopefully attract new staff as people see that we’re a company that takes the employee experience seriously.”
A group of Urban Animal “early adopters” will learn the fundamentals from a cooperative development partner, The Cooperative Way, and then promote the concept to other employees. The goal is to become a 100% employee-owned worker co-op eventually.
Dr. Trusheim, who founded Urban Animal in 2012, will remain the CEO.