Russ: Hi, I’m Russ Capper and welcome to Green Bank Business Builders, coming to you today from Pet Vet Animal Hospitals where I’m very pleased to be visiting with the Co-founder and Veterinarian, right here, Dr. Mike Mark.

Mike: How are you?

Russ: Welcome to Green Bank Business Builders.

Mike: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Russ: You bet. Tell us about Pet Vet Animal Hospitals.

Mike: Well, Pet Vet Animal Hospitals now is a group of four hospitals located all in the Houston area. We have a location in the Clear Lake area, one in the Heights, the hospital we are in now is in West Houston, and we have a hospital at Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet. We’ve been in business since 1972.

Russ: New company then, right?

Mike: Yeah, brand new. We have approximately ten veterinarians on our staff and an additional 40-45 administrative and technical nurses and other associates.

Russ: Ok, and do you like what you do?

Mike: I love what I do. I think you have to if you’re going to get up every day and go and do something. I think you really have to have a passion for what you do. Most veterinarians, I would like to think this is exclusive to me and Pet Vet Animal Hospitals, but I don’t believe that. I think we’re all pretty passionate about what we do because we could have chosen to do a lot of other things that would have been more financially rewarding but wouldn’t have rewarded us in the way that being a veterinarian does.

Russ: Ok, well knowing where this one is, we are kind of in the suburbs, so you probably are primarily residential animals; dogs, cats. Is that what the other three are like as well?

Mike: Yes, sir, that’s pretty much the definition of what we do. It’s impossible to know enough about any one species, much less to know adequate amounts about any number of species, so I can’t know everything I need to know about dogs and cats and then have room in my brain to know also about ferrets and minks.

Russ: Ok, so what’s your favorite, dogs or cats?

Mike: I don’t have a favorite, I love them all.

Russ: Well, really interesting. I really appreciate you giving us some of your time and sharing your story and connecting the dots to Green Bank.

Mike: You know, I see Green Bank as a business that’s very similar to our business, to Pet Vet Animal Hospital.  We’re both, in spite of the fact that they deal with a product, Green Bank does, and we deal with a medical service, we are still services. The way that you build a business and a relationship with services is with relationships. When my clients come in they know who I am. They call me Mike, or Dr. Mike, if they want to. I don’t encourage them to call me Dr. Mark because that’s not who I am. I am Mike, right? That’s what I do is Doctor. So, the relationship between me, the animal, and the people is very similar to the relationship between me and Tina at the Bank.  She takes great care of me, I feel like when I’m with her I’m her only client, and I get tremendous service from her in addition to the other people at the bank.

Russ: Fantastic. Mike, I really appreciate you spending some time with us.

Mike: Well, you bet. I wish we had more time to spend. We could go drive around and look at some other things. I could tell you a lot about veterinary medicine.

Russ: All right, maybe I’ll take you up on that.

Mike: I’ll be glad to see you any time.

Russ: And that wraps up my discussion with Dr. Mike Mark here at Pet Vet Animal Hospital, and this is Green Bank Business Builders.