Small Door Veterinary Accelerates Plans for National Expansion
Small Door Inc., a tech-enabled, membership-based veterinary care provider that operates under the brand Small Door Veterinary, plans to further expand its network of veterinary practices into Maryland, Virginia and Illinois, while adding additional facilities in existing markets, including New York, Washington DC and Boston. With an aggressive national expansion plan, Small Door will open ten hospitals through the next six quarters to bring the total portfolio to 19 practices. To support this anticipated growth, the company is also announcing key additions to its executive team, appointing Dr. Jamie Richardson to Chief Medical Officer, Kristin Hackett to Vice President of People, and Richard Dandridge as Vice President of Finance.
“Over the years, we have delivered gold-standard care to tens of thousands of pets, while partnering with doctors and medical professionals, treating them with the dignity and professionalism they deserve,” said Josh Guttman, Co-Founder and CEO. “We’ve not only delivered gold-standard medicine, but also gold-standard financial and operating metrics and are proud of the business we’ve built. As we position the company to reach meaningful scale, I am confident that Dr. Richardson, Kristin Hackett and Richard Dandridge provide us with the leadership we need to deliver on our mission of building the most trusted brand in the category.”
Richardson joined Small Door in 2019 as part of the company’s founding team. Having spent 15 years practicing veterinary medicine on three continents after earning her veterinary credentials from London’s prestigious Royal Veterinary College, Richardson has helped pioneer a new model of veterinary care delivering high standards and consistency not before seen in the industry.
“I partnered with the founders of Small Door as we shared a dual vision: to offer exceptional healthcare tailored to the unique needs of every pet and to provide an extraordinary work environment for our dedicated teams,” explained Richardson. “Our mission is to open a door to a world of compassionate, personalized, and innovative veterinary care, where the health and happiness of our beloved pets and the well-being of our passionate team members are priorities. As Small Door continues to expand, I am excited to bring our unique, patient-centered approach to more pet owners while ensuring the input of our medical teams continues to steer the evolution of our company.”
Dandridge joins Small Door from a career in financial consulting and operating roles, with a foundation in audit. Most recently, he served as Controller at Candid, an orthodontic clear aligner business, while previously working at Accordion Partners, serving to improve finance functions by streamlining processes, optimizing systems, and ensuring compliance. Dandridge brings over a decade of finance experience to Small Door.
“I firmly believe that Small Door is well positioned as a dynamic, emerging brand in a fragmented market, and set for exceptional growth, with a substantial runway for expansion,” said Dandridge. “I look forward to building out a powerful finance team that positions the company for scale, as we advance towards national expansion.”
Hackett joined Small Door in early 2022 as Sr. Director of People. She previously enjoyed a decade long career in HR and People Operations at One Medical and Cityblock Health. Since joining Small Door, Hackett has grown the People team and today oversees both People Operations and Talent Acquisition.
“It’s well documented that the veterinary industry is facing some major challenges – one of which being that staff are often chronically stressed and overworked,” said Hackett. “By shifting incentives away from volume, and instead towards value of services rendered and customer satisfaction, we have been able to build out an incredibly strong and committed team. We focus on the animals that we serve and our people, instead of only the bottom line.”
Small Door’s expansion plans are slated for 2024, with practices opening in: Bethesda MD, McLean VA and Arlington VA in the DC market, three openings planned for Chicago and two more planned for New York City.