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When the Family Animal Hospital Business Runs Out of Family

Posted on: Friday, 4 November 2005, 21:00 CST

By Phyllis Jacobs Griekspoor, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

Nov. 4--Greg Bogue jokes that he feels a little like the "last of the Mohicans." The third generation of Bogue veterinarians in Wichita and the owner of Bogue Animal Hospital at 429 N. Maize Road, he has two children. One chose a career in human medicine, the other in computer software.

"They just have different interests," he said. "It bothers me some to think that when I retire, there won't be another Bogue taking over, but I understand their choices. I want them to do what they enjoy."

Bogue is a name with a long tradition in Wichita animal health. The practice celebrated its 75th year last September.

Now in his early 50s, Bogue said he has done some thinking about retirement. He doubts that he will work into his early 70s, as his father did.

And like many family-business owners who don't see a "next generation" to hand it over to, he has done a great deal of thinking about what will happen to his practice.

Jason Albertson, his partner, who joined the practice in 1999, is a likely answer to that dilemma, he said.

"We've already started talking about his desire to take over," Bogue said. "Jason's wife, Heather, is also a vet and helps us out here some of the time."

Marcia Stevens, director of the Small Business Development Center at Wichita State University, said Bogue's avenue for his business's future is a common one.

"We see partners or employees being the first choice in succession," Stevens said. "That's especially true of businesses where there's a tradition and an emotional as well as financial investment."

An employee or a partner who shares the owner's philosophy and emotional ties to the business makes the transition easier, she said.

Bogue said that's certainly true where Albertson is concerned.

"We have a shared vision of quality veterinary care," Bogue said. "I'll be able to feel good about leaving my patients in Jason's hands."

The west Wichita clinic where Bogue now practices opened in 1961. At the time, it was the second Bogue clinic in Wichita and operated by Bogue's father, Richard.

His uncle, Robert, and grandfather, Joseph, practiced in east Wichita.

"There was nothing out here but farm fields," Bogue said. "A lot of my dad's practice initially was dairy cows and horses."

The practice now treats dogs, cats, an occasional bird and a fair number of pocket pets, such as gerbils and guinea pigs.

Greg Bogue joined his father in 1991, just in time for the growth explosion in west Wichita. Houses now surround the clinic and subdivisions stretch for miles to the west.

That has meant rapid growth in the clinic's practice. A larger clinic was built at the same location in 1997.

Veterinary medicine is Bogue's second career. He spent 11 years in the feed industry and was working for Cargill in Texas when he decided he wanted to go back to school and join the family business.

In recent years, he has seen changes in the way people think about their pets, he said.

"We're seeing more and more folks who place a high value on the human-animal bond," he said. "People are doing more and more to take care of their animals, and they are willing to spend what it takes to give their animals the best care and treatment possible."

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Source: The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)

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