Veterinary Group Spotlight

Encore Vet Group’s goal is to be the acquirer, employer, and hospital of choice in the veterinary space, said Lance Sprinkle, president and CEO. “Three years in, we’ve experienced unprecedented growth and had some of the largest and most prestigious hospitals in the U.S. join us,” he said. “What did they see in us? They saw that we help with the burdens of running a veterinary hospital while leaving what’s working alone.”

Sprinkle said he and his team have watched many peers in the corporate space make the mistake of managing to the P&L, without recognizing that veterinary medicine is a people business. We need to take care of the people that care for our pets,” he said. “It’s an easy trap to fall into.”

Encore is focused on being the employer of choice in the veterinary space. The organization is building a family of hospitals – what it calls a family of doctors, technicians, nurses and CSRs. “While things like signing bonuses are important and are becoming standard, what’s more important is creating cultures where corporate, clinical, and administrative family members feel valued, fulfilled, and excited to come to work each day,” Sprinkle said. “It’s truly as simple as that.”

Hungry for mentorship and culture

Despite the explosive growth in consolidation, Sprinkle said Encore has purposefully stayed slightly under the radar in recent years. “We felt that if we really got it right, we wouldn’t have to do much in the way of getting the word out because our reputation would precede us, and largely we’ve found that to be true,” he said. “What we’ve discovered is veterinary leaders are hungry for the type of mentorship and focus on culture that Encore is providing. We really haven’t had to do much in the way of outreach into the industry to build the brand because we’ve received tremendous referrals from our current hospitals.”

Encore’s focus on culture and networking within its portfolio of hospitals has allowed the organization to be laser-focused on preserving the quality of hospitals and hospital leadership they work with. Sprinkle said he and his team are confident that with the level of hospital leaders who are looking to partner with corporate groups, they’ll be able to meet their partnership targets, while keeping their focus on the level of quality their hospital leaders have come to expect from their colleagues.

A commitment to culture is not just corporate talk, Sprinkle said. “Our commitment to culture is palpable when you meet our people, and our commitment to those people is second to none,” he said. “From our living wage initiative to our commitment to tackling student debt for technicians and doctors, not to mention incredible benefits for every employee – from kennel assistants to senior leadership. I could go on and on, but we invite any interested seller to come see us in Saratoga Springs to experience it for themselves!”