“Behind every successful case is a team that made it happen.”
HOSPITAL UPDATE
The Bridger Bark
Well, I guess this is way overdue, but we are going to try out a new internal communication tool to keep you up to date on what is going on Hopefully this will be useful and informative but feel free to give me or the administration team feedback on how we can make it better
A few exciting updates from BVS. We just finished the installation of our new CT scan. The new machine is a faster and newer version of our last that allows quicker scan times and more patients to be scanned under sedation vs. general anesthesia. Sorry for those of you that had cases postponed while we got up and running. Hopefully this machine will be even more reliable than our old workhorse.
We are happy to have Dr. Chele Lathroum back! She had a beautiful, healthy boy Leo. She is back up to full speed helping our critical patients. We are excited to announce a second critical care specialist joining the team this summer Dr Mo Ramras is finishing her critical care residency at Cornell With her addition, we hope to start offering hemodialysis and more options for critical respiratory cases with ventilators Dr. Burke has continued to do double duty in both medical and radiation oncology. We are happy to report that help is on the way. Dr. Patrick Khalife is finishing his residency in medical oncology in San Diego and will be joining the team September 1st Thank you to Dr Burke and all the techs for continuing to help with chemotherapy on our cancer patients during this transition
We have some additional new team members that we will be introducing in this first issue of the Bark. Welcome Mindy Brown our new controller (Dr Mitek, that means she deals with finance ), Debbie Manzanares our new referral and public relations coordinator and Vanessa Bui, LVT who joined us in our surgery department.
We are also excited to report that Great Northern Veterinary Specialists is currently under construction in Kalispel! Our new sister hospital will be run by the amazing Dr. Boharski as he moves back to his homeland. Hopefully starting this August. We will keep you posted as this new project unfolds.
From a strategic perspective, we are finalizing the current strategic plan for BVS for the next year. Last year, you may recall that some of our priorities included instituting a new HRIS system (Paycor), instituting a system for employee reviews, leadership development and growth of services. I think we made great strides almost all of these and I’m proud of the work the leadership team is doing Some of this year’s key strategic objectives include improving hospital financial reporting and helping disseminate that information hospital wide We are also prioritizing training and onboarding as we all feel like this is an area where we have significant room to grow. I think creating a more organized process around this for all empolyees will dramatically improve culture, retention and enjoyment of the workplace. We have left leadership development as a key strategic priority for 2026. We listened to all of your valuable comments on our Great Places to Work survey and will continue to strive to help our leaders do great work and be effective at their jobs Lastly, I remain committed to trying to make BVS an ESOP Read the section on ESOPs in this newsletter if you have interest
Lasly, we are going to offer a technician track April 11th again as it seemed to be a warmly welcomed addition to the Fall Symposium. We are also adding a manager track April 24th this spring. Stay tuned for more details!
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Please join us in welcoming the newest members of BVS!
Mindy Brown Financial officer
Mindy grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Bozeman after completing graduate school. What she initially expected to be a short stay in the mountains quickly became the place she knew she wanted to call home After spending 22 years at Montana State University, she is excited to join BVS, where it’s clear that compassion guides the care of pets, clients, and the entire veterinary team.
A lifelong animal lover, Mindy is delighted to finally be working in a setting where animals are at the heart of the mission. She looks forward to supporting the hospital’s financial operations so that veterinarians and staff can focus on what they do best caring for the pets we all cherish
Outside of work, Mindy enjoys camping, reading, and spending time with her family and animal companions. You can often find her at the ice rink, either playing hockey herself or cheering on her children.
Debbie was primarily raised in Sacramento, California, and has spent the past decade working in the veterinary industry. For most of her career, she has worked as a veterinary technician, where she built strong clinical skills while also finding fulfillment in connecting with clients and helping guide them through their pets’ healthcare journeys.
Debbie is especially passionate about emergency and specialty medicine. She values collaboration, communication, and creating a positive experience for everyone involved in animal care Outside of work, Debbie enjoys spending time outdoors with her fiancé. She loves fishing, hiking, and exploring nature, and is especially excited to go hunting for the first time this year. She also enjoys relaxing at home with her beloved Scottish Fold mix, who keeps life fun and full of personality.
Debbie Manzanares Referral & Public Relations Coordinator
Vanessa Bui, LVT Surgery Department
Vanessa was born in Bay City, Texas, and spent most of her life in the Pacific Northwest before recently moving to Bozeman. She feels most at home outdoors—hiking backcountry trails, camping under the stars, fishing, practicing archery, or rock climbing. When the weather warms up, she enjoys taking her motorcycle out for a ride and exploring new places
At home, Vanessa enjoys playing video games, reading, experimenting with new recipes, and relaxing with her boyfriend and her pet, Paisley. The things that make her happiest are spontaneous adventures, time with friends, music and dancing, and having a little extra free time to enjoy the moment
Birthday: November 29
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Element: Earth / Fire ����
HR CORNER - YOUR VOICE MATTERS
One of the things leadership has been spending time on lately is finding better ways to hear from the people who make this hospital run every day. The truth is, the best ideas about how to improve our workplace often come from the people doing the work.
The goal isn’t just to collect feedback. It’s to listen, learn, and keep making this a place where people can do great work together. So, I’m asking and encouraging you to get involved in the programs you see coming your way. Let’s keep the conversation going and keep communicating together. Thank you for the work you do each day to support your teammates, our patients, and the families we serve
Over the coming months, you may start to see a few new ways to share feedback, ideas, and experiences, along with new ways to recognize and highlight the great work happening across our teams every day. Some of these efforts will create more opportunities to speak up, while others will help shine a light on the teamwork, dedication, and care that define BVS.
EMPLOYEE ADVISORY BOARD
Hi Team,
We’re excited to announce the launch of our BVS Employee Advisory Board. One of the items that came up on our Great Place to Work Survey was that the team didn't feel that they had opportunities to share feedback with the leadership of the hospital. We are launching this program to create an opportunity to provide feedback and be involved with discussion and decisions about changes at BVS.
The BVS Employee Advisory Board will serve as a cross-functional group of employees who provide input and recommendations to leadership on topics such as workplace experience, engagement, communication, and organizational improvements. The BVS Employee Advisory Board will include BVS team members, with Erika and Tia as facilitators of the meetings.
We are seeking employees who:
-Are thoughtful and solutions-oriented
-Represent diverse perspectives and roles
-Care deeply about improving our workplace
Term Length: 12 months.
Meeting Cadence: Monthly (90 minutes)
Time Commitment: Approximately 3–4 hours per month. There will be a 90-minute meeting each month, and additional time is needed to gather information and prepare for the meeting. All time spent participating in the BVS Advisory Board Meetings will be paid time. Team members that are eligible for quarterly bonuses will receive additional points that are used when calculating bonus amounts
You may nominate yourself or a colleague using the attached forms.
Nominations close on 3/16/2026. Our first meeting will be held in April.
Serving on the BVS Employee Advisory Board is an opportunity to help shape our organization’s future We encourage participation from all departments and levels
Erika Hultquist
EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTION PLAN
What is an ESOP?
ESOP stands for Employee Stock Option Plan This is a qualified retirement plan that is a benefit to the employee by allowing the workers to build ownership in the company over time without having to buy shares directly.
Why would I want to do an ESOP?
This is a great question as this is very rare in the veterinary space. Most commonly, as many of you know, specialty practices sell to large corporations Local autonomy is lost, decision makers are often not local, culture changes and often deteriorates, prices of services generally skyrocket and employees often leave My hope is that an ESOP will be a way I can slowly transition away from ownership over the next 10-15 years while maintaining culture, improving retention and motivation of employees and building value for all employees as BVS grows vs. just myself. I want to be proud of what BVS becomes long after I stop doing surgery. Companies that are employee owned can take tax deductions for contributions and can be tax exempt which can build significant value for shareholders over time.
Why wouldn’t employees want an ESOP?
I think the risk for employees is pretty low. You aren’t contributing your own money to get stock, like you do with a 401k. It does require that BVS continues to grow and have profit in the future for you to get value. So, if BVS tanks, it isn’t much of a benefit That is why it is critical to have a strong leadership team, strong financials and great employees that want to stick around and be a part of the company moving forward As an employee “owner” it’s not like you have the company credit card and check book, so it’s not an immediate pile of cash to spend nor do you suddenly become the sole decision maker of the practice.
What is the timeline?
My hope is that with improved financials and growth of the leadership team we will start the process the 4th quarter of this year. ESOPs do require profit to fund which is something we will be working on over the next several months.
Is this a sure thing?
No. So why am I even talking about it? Great question, but I have found in life that you can talk things into existence. Tell people you are going to run a marathon and you are more likely to actually do it than just thinking about it. It does have some significant obstacles, and I have had many people tell me I am dumb for considering it People also told me I was dumb for taking the risk building BVS in the first place If this works, it might transform how hospitals work in the future Stay tuned, I may fail, but I think the upside BVS is worth the effort. Feel free to start your own exploration of ESOPs or send me questions and comments.
Josh
BVS CULTURE
We have been talking a lot lately about the BVS culture I always have to look back at our core values to make sure they are driving the bus.
As I looked over those values, it made me wonder about a culture issue that seems to come up a lot. How do we address disagreement, problems or conflict in general? I have found myself guilty of this many times and wanted to call out the whole team to ask how you address these issues.
Do you always assume the best intentions of others? Do you ask if this is a training opportunity or reason to establish a hospital protocol? Or do you assume the person you are frustrated with is dumb or doesn’t care? I would ask the entire team what culture they want.
We all make mistakes We often have different opinions on the best way to handle a variety of situations. I hope that you will all trust that when I make a mistake or don’t know something, my intentions were likely still good. Let’s look at problems as learning opportunities instead of individual failures. Let’s stop pointing fingers and think about solutions. Let’s start with the assumption that someone really cared and had the best intentions or didn’t know (or we don’t have) a policy
Let’s focus on constant improvement vs blame and shame. I love this hospital and the people in it.
Let’s create a culture of trust, caring, support for one another and positive thoughts. I am not just on a pedestal preaching to you, I am talking to my inner self just as much. Stop and ask, “am I being critical, judgmental and negative or am I assuming the best and a part of positive change.”
Namaste
