Building Red Rock Veterinary Health: A Journey of Risk, Resilience, and Community

Starting a veterinary hospital from scratch is an enormous undertaking—one that requires vision, persistence, financial risk, and a lot of faith. It’s not something one person can do alone. It takes a team. 

For us, the journey to opening Red Rock Veterinary Health began unexpectedly when Bear Creek Veterinary Care underwent a corporate acquisition, leaving me without a job. That sudden change set off a domino effect, forcing me to make a decision: find another practice to associate at for an indeterminate time, accept a medical director position at a corporate practice, or take a leap of faith and build something new—something better.  

We chose the latter.  

What followed was a process filled with challenges, uncertainty, and an incredible amount of hard work—but also one of teamwork, support, and belief in a shared mission. 

The Financial Gamble: Betting on Ourselves  

Opening an independent veterinary hospital in today’s corporate-driven world is a major financial risk. Every decision we made had to balance long-term stability with immediate financial feasibility. We qualified for a loan, but it was only so much for what we had to do.

One of the biggest decisions was whether to buy or lease a building. Buying would have given us security and would have been a better investment, but it would have also required putting our family’s home up as collateral—a risk too great to take with two young children. Leasing was the conservative, safer choice, but it came with its own challenge: spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on tenant improvements in a building we don’t even own.  

On top of that, we had to fund construction, equipment, inventory, and staffing—all before seeing a single patient. There was never a moment when we weren’t thinking about the financial risks and the amount of savings we were burning through, but we pushed forward, believing that what we were building was worth it. 

The Challenges of Finding the Right Location

Choosing a building wasn’t just about location—it meant navigating a host of unexpected construction and permitting issues. Since we weren’t working with a brand-new space—in fact, it was a vacant strip mall unit—we inherited a laundry list of problems:  

- Electrical abnormalities – We had to update and modify wiring to meet safety codes.  

- An aging HVAC system – Veterinary hospitals require specialized ventilation, which meant expensive upgrades and adding a roof top unit  

- No Plumbing – We needed bathrooms, sinks, wet tables, eye wash stations, hoses & trench drains & we had to have it all connected to an aged draining system.  

- Asbestos concerns – A serious but safely mitigated issue that added another layer of complexity.  

- Permitting headaches – Delays that slowed our timeline and added stress to an already time-sensitive project.  

Each issue was a reminder of how unpredictable this process can be, but also how important it was to keep moving forward. Sometimes it felt that the forward momentum was all we had in our favor.

Balancing Business, Medicine, and Family  

While we built Red Rock Veterinary Health, we weren’t just focused on construction and logistics—we were still practicing medicine and working full time jobs. Time management became one of our greatest challenges.  

Balancing full-time veterinary work with setting up a hospital meant long days, late nights, and endless to-do lists. But through it all, we never lost sight of what mattered most—family.  

From the very beginning, Sharon and I made an agreement: if we were going to take on this massive undertaking, we would build the hospital in a way that allowed us to be present for our kids.

That meant structuring hospital hours to be “family-friendly”—not just for us, but for our team. I also made a personal commitment that no matter how overwhelming this process became, I would never miss wake-up or bedtime with my two sons. Those moments—reading books, tucking them in, making them breakfast, checking for monsters—remained non-negotiable. Because while building this hospital was important and all-consuming, being present for our family always had to matter more. Admittedly, that commitment wavered at times, but we perservered.

The Logistics of Launching a Hospital 

Beyond construction, there were a thousand details that had to come together before we could open our doors.  

- Selecting the right equipment – From X-ray machines to exam tables, everything had to be carefully chosen and delivered on time.  

- Managing inventory – Stocking the hospital with medications, supplies, and everyday essentials before our first patient walked in. Keeping that inventory short, but efficient, was imperative with a limited initial cash-flow budget.

- Setting up lab services – Choosing in-house diagnostic equipment and establishing partnerships with reference labs.  

- Vendor agreements – Negotiating with pharmaceutical companies and medical suppliers to ensure we had the best products for our patients.  

- Marketing and outreach – Letting the community know who we are and what we stand for, before we even opened our doors.  

Every decision was a team effort, and every step brought us closer to our goal. We leaned on our friends, family, and each other to keep going.  

The Emotional Toll and Uncertainty of It All  

Even with careful planning, there are no guarantees. We still don’t know if this business will be successful. The financial burden is real, and the risk is significant. Will we have enough patients to sustain the business? Will the community embrace our approach? Will all the hard work pay off?  

The emotional stress of building a hospital from scratch is something that can’t be fully understood unless you’ve lived it. The pressure is immense, and the weight of responsibility is always there. But through every doubt and every sleepless night, we keep moving forward—because we believe in what we are building and forward momentum is powerful.

All we can do now is give it everything we have.  

A Heartfelt Thank You  

None of this would have been possible without the incredible people who believed in this vision. 

To our team—you are the heart of this hospital. Lauren and Angela, your unwavering faith in this project and in me means more than I can ever express. You both turned down promotions and higher-paying jobs to be part of this journey. There were times when you worked without guaranteed pay, simply because you believed in what we were building. Your dedication, loyalty, and willingness to take this leap with us will never be forgotten. Red Rock Veterinary Health would not exist without you.  

To the doctors and staff at Pikes Peak Veterinary Clinic—we truly could not have done this without your help. You welcomed us in when we had nowhere else to practice, giving us a place to care for our patients and continue our work while we built our own hospital. Your support, generosity, and kindness made an incredibly difficult time so much easier, and we are endlessly grateful.  

To our clients—thank you for trusting us with your pets and for choosing a locally owned, independent veterinary hospital. Your support means everything to us, and we are so honored to be part of your pets’ lives.  

To our community—your encouragement and enthusiasm have kept us going. Starting a hospital is never easy, but having the support of such an incredible community has made all the difference.

And lastly, but not least, to my family for being that constant in a whirlwind of anxiety, stress, and uncertainty. I always knew that if we failed we would be able to figure it out together, somehow. 

This journey has been filled with incredible challenges, but it has also been filled with hope, resilience, and an incredible team of people who believe in something bigger than themselves.  

We still don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know if this will work. But we do know that we will give it everything we have.  

Red Rock Veterinary Health is not just a veterinary hospital—it is a testament to what can be accomplished when people come together with a shared vision.