Rachel Bakeberg
Appleton Veterinary Clinic, Appleton
Purchased September 2005
There are many different things I like about being a veterinarian. With small animals, it’s the mystery of it, in a way. Sometimes you have to solve a problem without any clues. I like the idea of being a detective and figuring out problems without all the facts laid out for you. And you get to snuggle some of these guys – when they don’t hate you. Best yet, I also get to form an emotional bond with their owners. I love people and animals. It really ties both together.
With large animals, it’s more of a physical challenge for me. In this area, we typically see cattle operations with beef cattle. We also have some dairy, sheep and goats that we see. And then you see a lot of horses. I’m 5-foot-4-inches, and these animals are pushing 2,000 pounds on a regular basis. It is a challenge and satisfying to be able to treat these animals effectively and safely. My favorite thing is pulling a calf out of a cow when all the laws of physics say it can’t be done.
I started my life wanting to be a chiropractor or a police officer. My dad was a chiropractor. He told me a story before he passed away about setting me down when I was a kid, and he asked me what I wanted to be. I said a chiropractor like him. He said, “I really feel like you would be an amazing vet.” My dad said I had most pensive, thoughtful, inquisitive look on my face. I sat there and thought about it. My eyes became clear and said I want to be a veterinarian. We grew up with animals, both pets and livestock. I came from the country. All my neighbors had farms.
I grew up in the Twin Cities area and then I lived in other states for a while – Texas and California. I came back to Waconia, which is where I graduated from high school. I went to Gustavus for college and loved the school. I only had a one-track mind at that point – to be a veterinarian. I applied to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in 2002. If you had any interest in large animals, people sought you out to come work for them. That’s how I joined the Tri-County Veterinary Clinic in Taunton and Dawson. When that clinic split up, I stayed on full time at the Dawson practice.
A year later, I heard the Appleton Vet Clinic would be for sale from Doc Nissen (Dr. Christian Nissen) who’d been in practice many years. I was happy with where I was, but there was no room for growth, so I talked to Doc Nissen. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I saw ridiculous potential right away. I jumped in with both feet and my entire body at that point, with only a personal loan to start my business. That was in 2005. It was very successful, and we outgrew our space after a few years.
The City of Appleton approached me about the corner lot I’m on now. They could help with the real estate side if I’d consider building. I immediately started meeting with Small Business Development Center consultant RuthAnn Karty. We went to work developing projections and a business plan, and she introduced me to Southwest Initiative Foundation.
I needed somebody to help me with my dream, and SWIF did. With the help of local lenders and SWIF, I was able to make that dream become reality. I wouldn’t have been able to build the building and start this beautiful business without them.
In November 2009, we moved the Appleton Veterinary Clinic into its new building. We went from a two-room old service station to three exam rooms, on-site boarding, large animal space, kind of the whole gamut. Even with the expenditure to start this business, we were able to be very successful off the bat.
Then in 2014, the Appleton clinic caught fire, and I pretty much lost everything. We had insurance discrepancies I was not aware of. I did not know my true coverage, and it wasn’t good. I lost equipment that wasn’t covered. We started over and were able to reopen the clinic December of that year. I’ve hired two more veterinarians since then. We’ve also expanded our employees. I purchased the Dawson vet clinic from my old boss in 2012. It’s been a road … a very twisted, windy, fun road to go down.
Without the backing of this community, I wouldn’t have come back from the fire. Appleton has been extremely supportive of my business from the second I took over. People would just stop in and say hi. People who aren’t even from this area would stop and compliment me on what I’ve done for the city of Appleton. Being in this community and helping it as well as them helping me, that’s how any business in a town should be.
I think of everything as a challenge and an inspiration to me. Above all, I’ve never been one to not achieve what I seek. When I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian, I went against what people told me. Guidance counselors through high school and college told me I shouldn’t do it, it’s too hard, they don’t make money. But there’s never a quit option in me. I strive to provide the best medicine I can in this area at a reasonable cost so people can afford what they want to do for their pets and livestock. Currently we have nine staff between the two clinics, and I only think that’s going to grow even more.
