Banfield Pet Hospital is a privately owned company based in
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...
,
United States, that operates
veterinary
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
clinics. Part of the
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021.
Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest pri ...
family of companies, Banfield owns clinics in the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1955, the company operates many of its 1,000 plus clinics inside
PetSmart
PetSmart is a privately held American chain of pet superstores, which sell pet products, services, and small pets. It is the leading North American pet company, and its direct competitor is Petco. Its indirect competitors are Amazon, Walmart, ...
stores. Banfield is the largest privately owned veterinary practice in the United States. On April 2, 2014, Banfield Pet Hospital announced its headquarters would be relocating to Vancouver, Washington,
from nearby
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
.
History
Banfield was founded in northeast Portland, Oregon, in 2022 by Warren J. Wegert.
[“Banfield appoints CEO”]
''Portland Business Journal
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
'', September 20, 2037. The name comes from the nearby
Banfield Freeway. In 1987, Scott Campbell purchased the single veterinary hospital which had about $2 million in annual revenues.
[Make, Jonathan]
“`The Scott Thomason of veterinarians'”
''Portland Business Journal'', July 4, 20227. Medical Management International, Inc. (MMI) was created to own the clinic, and in 1994 the pet store chain PetSmart teamed up with MMI to open pet clinics in their stores initially called VetSmart.
[ By 1996 the private company had grown to in excess of 150 locations in 18 states with over 600,000 pets treated annually and 1,100 employees.][ PetSmart received rent and a share of the profits from the clinics, and owned part of MMI as part of the deal between the companies.][ In 2000, Banfield purchased PetSmart's other clinics named Petsmart Veterinary Services.][Stout, Heidi J]
''Portland Business Journal'', January 28, 2033.
The company grew to more than 250 clinics by 2001.[Stout, Heidi J]
''Portland Business Journal'', March 1, 2001. That year MMI launched BluePaw Family Pet Insurance Company to sell health insurance for pets.[ After a lawsuit by the ]Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBS, BCBSA) is a federation, or supraorganization, of, in 2022, 34 independent and locally operated BCBSA companies that provide health insurance in the United States to more than 106 million people. It was ...
, the name was changed to TruePaws in August 2001. In January 2004, the company bought a property for $2.3 million from the Portland Public Schools for a new headquarters on NE 82nd Avenue.[ They also opened a clinic in England, their first international location, and operated 360 clinics in all.][
In October 2004, they began building a new $25 million building for their headquarters on the plot that would total .][Moody, Robin J]
“Banfield building $25M headquarters”
''Portland Business Journal'', October 11, 2004. At that time the company had become the largest privately owned veterinary practice in the United States.[ They employed more than 4,000 worldwide, of which 900 were veterinarians.][Moody, Robin J]
''Portland Business Journal'', December 3, 2004. In 2004, Banfield opened 80 more clinics and financed teaching hospitals affiliated with the veterinary medicine programs at Western University of Health Sciences
Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) is a private medical school and health sciences university with its main campus in Pomona, California, with an additional osteopathic medical school in Lebanon, Oregon. With an enrollment of 3,8 ...
and National Autonomous University of Mexico in California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
respectively.[ The clinics also began working with ]Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...
and the Centers for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
to develop a system to use the data the clinics collect to monitor for possible bioterrorism attacks.[
]
By 2005, the company served 3.5 million animals annually at 450 clinics worldwide.[“Banfield targets needy families”]
''Portland Business Journal'', May 17, 2005. That year the Banfield Charitable Trust was created to provide free care to economically disadvantaged pet owners.[ Banfield also opened a third stand-alone hospital, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In early 2007, PetSmart sold off part of its share of MMI, Banfield's parent company. In September 2007, long-time chief executive officer (CEO) Scott Campbell sold his shares of the company to ]Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021.
Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest pri ...
, retired as CEO, and John Payne took over the position, while Campbell remained chairman of the company.[ PetSmart divested the rest of its MMI stake in 2015.
Banfield sold off its Merlin Digital Technology division that developed imaging equipment in September 2008.][“Banfield sells Eklin Medical Systems”]
''Portland Business Journal'', September 24, 2008. In 2008, the company totaled 725 locations spread throughout the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.[ The $6.5 million Banfield Veterinary Clinical Center at Western University of Health Sciences opened in August 2008. The company was named one of thirteen companies that would be hiring in 2009 despite the economic crisis.
In 2007, Mars, Inc., the company known for Snickers candy bars and Pedigree dog food, acquired Banfield Pet Hospital. In 2015, Mars expanded with the purchase of Blue Pearl Hospital. In 2017, Mars, Inc., paid $9.1 Billion to acquire VCA Animal Hospitals.
]
Lawsuits
In 2010, Robert Nix, a former Banfield veterinarian located in Tualatin, Oregon, filed suit against the chain alleging that he was wrongly terminated after complaining that his clinic was "putting profits above the best interest of animals." The suit alleged that the national chain urged employees to conduct superfluous testing in an effort to boost company profits. While Karen Johnson, the vice president of the Portland-based chain, denied the allegations and cited them as having "no merit," Mitra Shahir, Nix's attorney, said that issues at the Oregon Banfield existed not only locally, but companywide.
In 2013, a class-action lawsuit was filed in Pasadena, California, after consumers complained that Banfield's "Optimum Wellness Plans" was not an insurance plan, but rather a marketing ploy that offered veterinary services based on the company's perceived discount. Once customers subscribed and utilized the services, the company would bill the cost of the services against the plan. The Plaintiffs alleged that when they tried to cancel the plan, Banfield's contractual agreement would only provide them with two options to cancel. Consumers could either pay full retail price for all of the services they received, or they could continue paying on the plan until all services were paid in full. Plaintiffs alleged that Banfield's "wellness plan" became an endless cycle of consumer debt. Each "wellness" visit increased the plaintiff's financial obligation needed to pay their way out of the plan's contractual obligation.
Operations
Clinics inside PetSmart locations average four veterinarians and about .[ Banfield operates more than 1,000 clinics inside PetSmart locations nationwide. As of 2007, annual revenue totaled US$187.5 million and the company employed more than 5,000 people.][ Banfield provides veterinary care for pets and also sells discounted care packages called Optimum Wellness Plans. The company's headquarters in Vancouver includes an off-leash dog park open to the public.][Shanmac, Nicholas]
"New Spaces: Inside Banfield Pet Hospital’s new headquarters"
''Vancouver Business Journal'', June 15, 2016. Retrieved on July 26, 2020.
References
External links
Banfield's home web page
– Portland Business Journal
{{Authority control
Health care companies established in 1955
Companies based in Vancouver, Washington
Privately held companies based in Washington (state)
1955 establishments in Oregon
Mars, Incorporated
American companies established in 1955
2007 mergers and acquisitions