FPWC was established in the spring of 2013 by me, Dr.Steve Blauvelt-the one and only owner since its inception. The original vision for the practice was to provide a relatively small, unique to the community, dog and cat clinic focusing on an integrative care model. This vision has been adhered to and has grown the practice into all that I have wanted it to be, given the stage of my career and the services I wish to provide. FPWC is a 'limited services' clinic, in that it is primarily an out-patient, mostly appointment only clinic offering both eastern and western medical services. Some elective surgical and general dentistry services are performed on a regular basis. Acupuncture and herbal medicine are significant priorities at FPWC. In addition, FPWC has grown into a popular alternative for many clients seeking a refreshing change from completely mainstream western veterinary care, as well as those simply looking for an honest second opinion from 'Dr. Steve', as I am often referred to around town by mostly 'word of mouth' marketing.
Nestled on the eastern side of the incredible Cascade Range, Bend is the indisputable hub of Central Oregon. There is a well established veterinary network in Bend and the surrounding area, consistent growth, and there will always be a place in this progressive community for a small practice like FPWC, despite the national trend towards corporate takeover of veterinary practices. It is noteworthy also that Bend is often referred to as the 'dog capital' of the western U.S. For those seeking some occasional 'big city' experiences, Portland is a comfortable and gorgeous 3 hour drive away.
The clientele of FPWC is generally a nice mix of young, middle-age, and older folks that love their pets beyond measure, typically wanting some version of the care described above. Generally loyal for years, most clients prefer FPWC as their pet's primary care provider, but at the same time understand that it is not a 'full service' clinic, and are more than willing to make the occasional trip to another trusted clinic or the local veterinary referral center for more involved diagnostic workups or major surgical cases. It is also worth noting that clients expect payment at time of service, and there is an Extremely low account receivables aspect at FPWC.

Central Oregon will always be a highly desirable place to call home. Simply put, the community of Bend, Oregon is a beautiful place to be and live well! It is well known as a recreational haven, offering unlimited opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, fishing!, camping, as well as fantastic nordic and alpine skiing at nearby Mt Bachelor. It has been a wonderful place on Earth to raise our 2 adopted, multi-racial children over the past 20 years. - The location of the current Four Paws facility, situated in Bend's growing Eastside, just off a main highway is attractive to clients-including those living in other parts of Bend, often heading our way for many of their shopping or other needs.
In this case, the small size of the practice, as well as clients deep satisfaction in always seeing the one and only (same ) Dr. -has created something special and unique in the current veterinary world ( so many clients comment with dissatisfaction about not being able to see the same veterinarian for their pet at other, large, multi-Dr. practices). In other words, continuity of care has high value here at FPWC. On the other hand, another major selling point is that if a buyer did want to grow FPWC into a larger practice, perhaps with an associate, a different location/larger facility... then this could be a great, more affordable option- for example, for a younger veterinarian with an interest in integrative care-building upon the backbone of FPWC. Given the well established reputation of the practice, and some possible ( if applicable) short-term mentorship by Dr.B, a continued, consistent flow of quality clientele would be anticipated.
Also, in terms of the current facility, another desirable aspect is that the lease is on a month to month basis, and is likely negotiable in that way for a practice buyer.
There are 200-250 active clients on the client list at FPWC. Profitability at FPWC has generally been acceptable in the 9+ years of operation, including with the impact of Covid. Income generated has provided more than adequate satisfaction/ ' comfortable living' for myself as well as the two FPWC employees. A clear picture of profitability is worth discussion with a potential buyer to specify/clarify regarding a decline in the annual gross over the past 3 years. For purposes here, suffice it to say that the reason for this is primarily due to the practice converting a few years ago from a 5 day work week, to a 4 day schedule (M-Thurs).- my choice to enjoy more time off. In addition, I have chosen to take relatively more vacation time off as my spouse retired 3 to 4 years ago. All of this done in the spirit of enhancing my quality of life, while at the same time still providing adequate care for my patients and clientele, as I progress towards my 'exit strategy'.

There is huge growth potential for FPWC. Some things that the next owner might look at could include: 1) expand/ enhance social media outreach to clientele. This has not been a crucial priority for me, given that ...as a sole practitioner and having the established practice style working for me, I have always had as much case load as I wanted to handle, thriving primarily on 'word-of-mouth' marketing; 2) Depending on what services the next owner wants to provide, a logical addition would be to add Xray equipment to provide both general and dental radiographic services- FPWC has operated fine overall without, as a mostly out-patient, integrative care clinic, but radiography in the clinic would obviously be valuable, not to mention also considered 'standard of care' in most veterinary circles. Eventually moving the practice to a larger building could make this more 'doable'; 3) FPWC has been computerized since the beginning, having primarily 'paperless' patient records using AVIMARK software and support. This works well, but undoubtedly the IT aspect and practice mgt aspects could be improved/ enhanced.