Growing practice

A decade of growth led to a need for more space.

With the expansion, the veterinary clinic in the southwest corner of Jay County is ready to take its next step.

It’s been a year of transition for Redkey Veterinary Clinic, which opened its expanded facility this summer and is now preparing to welcome a new veterinarian to its practice.

The decision to add space to the clinic at 8908 Indiana 67, Redkey, came about three years ago.

“We just needed more room for the way the practice has grown,” said veterinarian Zack Wasson, who runs the practice along with his mother, Teresa Wasson.

Zack joined his parents — father Jim is now retired — in the practice after he graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014 and worked with them to modernize the practice. That included a shift to in-house blood work, leading to faster results.

The facility also added new X-ray and anesthesia equipment, which Zack said improved both speed and safety.

He said the clinic quadrupled its business over the course of a decade, which resulted in an increase from three full-time employees to a dozen.

“It’s very satisfying,” said Teresa Wasson, a Montgomery County native, adding that the most exciting part of the process was having Zack come on board.

The additional customers and employees left the space cramped, so after working on plans and financing, the expansion project started in late 2024. During the work, the clinic brought in a trailer to use as exam rooms and a lobby.

“It was the longest six months of my life,” said Zack, who bought into the business about two years after coming on board. “We were all on top of each other. …

“Once we opened back up and started getting used to the new building, it was a giant sigh of relief. It’s been so nice having that lobby and the exam rooms back to normal. It really makes you appreciate things being where they’re supposed to be.”

Mid-States Construction of Redkey handled the project, which extended the building by 18 feet to the west. With the addition and some reconfiguration, the clinic ended up with about 1,500 additional square feet.

The expansion included new upstairs office space along with a conference room and break room.

Previously, managers were using an unenclosed loft area.

The most important part of the overall expansion project that came in north of $500,000, Zack said, was the expansion of the lobby. It is configured into sections with half walls that create privacy for pets while still allowing their owners to communicate with staff.

“We made approximately four times as much seating space with modern cubbies where it’s still an open feel but with privacy,” added Zack, noting that it has improved the workflow at the clinic. “So the animals have a place to kind of be tucked away but people can still see over it.”

The next step in the transition will come next month when 2018 Delta High School graduate Breanna Cunningham joins the practice. After finishing her rotation at the Redkey Clinic, she will graduate from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Returning to join the practice full-time seemed like a natural next step for Cunningham, who also worked at the clinic for a year after earning her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in 2021.

“We kept in touch while I was in vet school,” Cunningham said. “So this was like returning home. … I always knew that if the opportunity was here, this is where I wanted to come back to.”

The addition of a new full-time veterinarian will allow Teresa to slow down a bit. She said she plans to continue until one more younger veterinarian is brought onto the staff before fully retiring.

Zack said he’s excited to bring Cunningham on board and get her acclimated with the day-to-day practice of veterinary medicine in Redkey.

He said he’s not sure there’s room for more growth in a small-town practice. But he also didn’t rule out the possibility of buying another practice to expand the business.

For now, though, he’s satisfied with the status of the practice that opened in 1912 and has been in his family for more than 40 years.

“When I stop and think about it … and just pause and reflect, I am very proud of … what Redkey Vet Clinic has become,” Zack said.