Watch the most recent webinar below:
Webinar 3: Technology Planning for Your Veterinary Startup
Building a new practice? The right technology decisions start before opening day.
From infrastructure and software selection to in-house laboratory planning, technology choices shape how your practice operates and supports your team. Making these decisions early can help you avoid costly changes and disconnected systems later.
In this 90-minute panel, Dr. Kelly Cooper, Dave Kinney of Bank of America, and three expert panelists share practical guidance to help aspiring practice owners plan their technology needs with confidence.
Meet the Technology Panel
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Jennifer James brings more than 25 years of veterinary practice management and leadership experience, with a career spanning hospital operations, client relations, technology, compliance, and business development. As Executive Director of Business Development at pute.us, Jennifer works with veterinary practices to make technology decisions that support the way the hospital actually operates. From new-practice infrastructure and planning to cybersecurity, workflow, vendor coordination, and long-term scalability. Her perspective combines decades of firsthand practice-management experience with her current work helping veterinary hospitals plan, build, and improve their technology environments.
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Spent more than 30 years building software, including nearly a decade in veterinary technology with Pawbly and VitusVet, where he served as CEO.
He is the founder of vetSoftwareHub, an independent, vendor-neutral directory where practices compare veterinary software without pay-to-rank listings, and the creator of the PIMS Selection Navigator, a structured engagement that walks hospitals through scoring vendors, running fair demos, and checking references before contracts get signed. He works with startups, acquisitions, and established hospitals on PIMS selection, conversion, and workflow mapping, with a focus on avoiding expensive mistakes.
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After nearly four years serving as Lab Manager at a large, private equine referral hospital, Rachel saw a need for strategic planning of lab services. She founded Amwell Data Services to help give veterinarians and their teams more margin, with the larger goals of helping make careers in veterinary medicine more sustainable, increasing access to care, and advocating for a more equitable market. Beyond the lab, she's an avid orchid grower and enthusiast, watercolor and acrylics painter, and adoptive mom of the late, beloved farm cat "Sneakers" (2005-2025).
View More Webinars from the Series
Webinar 1: Am I Ready to Own a Practice?
Thinking about practice ownership but unsure where to begin?
Watch this webinar to learn how to evaluate your readiness, understand the financing process, and create a practical roadmap toward ownership. Dr. Kelly Cooper and Dave Kinney from Bank of America discuss what future practice owners should know before taking the next step.
Webinar 2: What to expect before you open your doors.
Thinking about practice ownership but unsure where to begin?
You’ve decided to build your own practice from the ground up. Here’s what the veterinarians who build extraordinary practices know: the startup journey isn’t something you figure out as you go. It’s something you navigate with purpose, with a realistic picture of what’s ahead and the right community of expertise around you.
This 90-minute panel brings together experts with the straight talk, real-world expertise, and practical guidance you need to move forward with confidence.
Meet the Design and Construction Panel
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Christine Gifford is an equipment specialist with 15 years of experience supporting veterinary practices. She partners with practice owners and project teams on hospital builds and remodels, ensuring equipment, space planning, and clinic workflow align with the owner's vision for patient care and long-term practice success.
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Chelsea Rodgers, the principal of Obsidian Design, LLC, has over 17 years in the industry. She has a degree in Interior Design from The Art Institute of Portland and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon. After working for several local Portland firms, Chelsea started Obsidian Design in 2016. Obsidian Design’s strategy is building strong relationships through effective communication, creative and experienced problem-solving, and creating beautiful, functional spaces for clients.
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With over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Ateah Wright brings a unique perspective to healthcare practice and real estate transactions. Her experience allows her to understand and relate to both her clients’ clinical and real estate needs. Ateah provides expert guidance to healthcare professionals throughout all stages of their real estate journey, including practice start-ups, lease renewals, expansions, relocations, additional offices, real estate purchases, and practice transitions. Her commitment to putting her clients’ best interests first, combined with her integrity, professionalism, and dedication to exceptional service, sets her apart.
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Rubicon Construction LLC is a Kenmore, WA-based commercial construction firm specializing in tenant improvement and ground-up projects across the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on healthcare and veterinary buildouts. Their work includes business development, estimating, preconstruction including lease negotiations, budgeting and space planning, project management, and project closeout. The company has 30+ employees across the greater Seattle area down to southern Washington.
Meet Your Guides:
Bank of America Practice Solutions specialist helping veterinarians understand financing, financial readiness, and ownership planning.
Dr. Kelly Cooper
Leadership, culture, operations, and ownership readiness expert helping veterinary professionals build extraordinary practices and teams.
Dave Kinney