Patterson Veterinary’s George Henriques says its acquisition of Miller Vet – and its commitment to clients amid the pandemic – have the company poised for a successful year.

It’s been a busy year for Patterson Veterinary. Not only has its sales force had to navigate the changing dynamics of interacting and supplying veterinary practices amid COVID-19 protocols, but in the spring of 2021, the company announced its plan to acquire Miller Vet.

In the following interview, George Henriques, president of the companion animal division of Patterson Animal Health, and president and board member of the Patterson Foundation, spoke to Veterinary Advantage about how Patterson has navigated the pandemic, the addition of Miller Vet’s sales force, whether customers have been affected by supply chain disruptions, and more.

Henriques George

Veterinary Advantage: Looking back on 2021, can you talk about the acquisition of Miller Vet and why it made sense for Patterson? Where were the two organizations aligned?

George Henriques: Patterson and Miller Vet share the same values and philosophy that put veterinarians and their practices at the forefront of everything we do. The acquisition made sense in that it offered to grow Patterson Animal Health’s presence and strengthen our competitive advantage in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest markets.

It’s expected to increase operating leverage, expand core sales reach, create synergies with our strategic vendors, and allow Patterson to provide an expanded portfolio and exceptional customer service to Miller Vet’s customers.

Veterinary Advantage: How does this shape Patterson’s sales force moving forward?

Henriques: The sales team, including the Miller Vet sales reps, has a customer-first, relationship focus approach. The Miller Vet team is equipped with qualified sales reps who will continue to uphold the Patterson values of strong customer relationships with the added benefit of being able to reach a new and different audience.

The customers that Miller Vet brings over will now have access to a larger network of products and services, better pricing, and updated services. The Patterson brand will remain strong, and customers can expect the same quality experience they are used to with the Patterson sales force.

Veterinary Advantage: You had your national sales meeting in September. What was your message to your sales force and the Patterson team overall?

Henriques: Since the Miller Vet team joined us shortly after the start of our new fiscal year, we allowed time to bring them on board before hosting our national sales meeting. The theme and messaging to our team was “Forward Together.” Truly, we’re stronger together and we’ve been able to persevere and navigate a very difficult past 12 months.

We are proud of the team; not only did we bounce back from being down 18% off a prior year, but we were also able to finish at plus 18% to 20% for the year, an impressive 40% swing that we saw amid the volatility in the last fiscal year. The messaging to our team was encourage them to maintain the momentum. Our customers value our partnership approach, as well as our services and solutions that help them run their practice and navigate a difficult environment.

Veterinary Advantage: Please describe some of the key decisions and moments of the pandemic for Patterson. How were your reps able to work with customers? Did their relationships strengthen?

Henriques: Patterson stayed true to its value of being a people-first organization during the pandemic. We listened to our sales teams and key customers on what they were most concerned about. We also met with suppliers to provide forecasts and pulled additional inventory into our network.

Their concerns were, first, are we considered a necessary business? Different states have different laws, so who can stay open, and who can’t? Fortunately, it was determined that it was medically necessary and veterinary clinics were not forced to close. But how do veterinary clinics navigate that? We put some tools in place that helped them understand how to secure their paycheck protection loans and how to apply for them. We talked to them about personal protective equipment (PPE) and disinfectants, and we created new free programs through Patterson Veterinary University on topics such as curbside care and infection control.

Reps provided continual support for their customers, including delivering supplies, to keep their practice safe and open. We also compiled the industry’s most credible sources so that our customers had access to up-to-date information, recommendations and best practices.

Veterinary Advantage: What do reps need today that may have not been the case two years ago?

Henriques: I think our team has always been very flexible and customer-centric. But there’s more of a recognition that every customer views the current situation differently. And, we respect how customers want to interact, whether it’s interacting with them outside or in the practice, with or without a mask. We have our own safety requirements that we currently are operating under. But it’s about being more flexible and understanding what the customer’s needs are so that we can be that indispensable partner for them.

Veterinary Advantage: What do you view as the biggest challenges your customers face in today’s marketplace, and how are you positioning Patterson to help meet those challenges?

Henriques: Our industry faces a shortage of veterinary talent and increased demand for services. This is increasing the workload and stress levels within clinics. We are offering technology solutions to help improve clinic productivity. We also offered curbside equipment repair or loaner equipment through our technical service network.

We responded to the pandemic by quickly adding three new complimentary RACE-certified classes through our Patterson Veterinary University course offering to help our customers: Veterinary Practice Infection Control, Disinfection: Keys to Success and Telehealth: Veterinary Curbside Care (more info at: pattersonvetuniversity.com/pages/course-catalog).

The marketplace changed during the pandemic as more people acquired pets, and work-from-home behavior led to more attentive pet owners. We are looking to expand our portfolio with innovative new products to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Our customers want guidance and resources on the latest COVID updates that affect them – our sales reps are equipped with this information, and we are already planning ahead in the event of an additional shutdown.

Veterinary Advantage: How did you change or adapt as a leader amid the pandemic?

Henriques: What was important to us is recognizing that there was a lot of isolation among our team, and the way to overcome that was by communicating and holding regular meetings. Prior to the pandemic, I would regularly record audio updates for the team. Since the pandemic, I ramped up that frequency to ensure connection and engagement. Through all of it, I would say communications were our priority – letting people know that they’re making a difference and they’re part of a team.

Veterinary Advantage: Supply chain disruptions have been in the headlines for a while. How have you seen it affect veterinary clinics? And how has Patterson worked to address any issues that arise?

Henriques: I bucket supplies into two different categories: our pharma partners vs. our equipment and hardgoods partners. There hasn’t been much of an impact on the pharmacy side, and we have managed our supplies well.

The equipment and hardgoods bucket is more concerning regarding capital equipment, parts and especially spare parts. We have a service network with our Patterson Veterinary Service technicians who do break/fix work. For instance, if you’ve got an X-ray table that’s not working, this team diagnoses and generally has the parts to fix it. We are starting to see a bit of a constraint with some of those parts (as of early December), which concerns me for our team and customer’s sake.

Veterinary Advantage: Please tell us about the work the Patterson Foundation did in 2021 and any initiatives for 2022.

Henriques: I remain president of the Patterson Foundation. The Patterson scholarship program has continued with
35 new awards given to employees’ children in 2021. The Foundation has awarded more than 500 scholarships since 2004. Some other highlights:

More than $16 million has been given in 20 years to nonprofits across the country.
The Foundation donated over $72,000 through Dollars for Doers. The Dollars for Doers program was introduced in 2019 in which the Foundation donates $100 per volunteer to a nonprofit organization in which two or more Patterson employees volunteer at.
We have added Future Farmers of America Funding to its grantmaking program, and $24,000 was donated to eight different chapters across the U.S.

Photo credit: istockphoto.com/Vasyl Dolmatov

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