Pulse - January 2023 - 9

JIM BELL
JIM BELL
SCVMA PROFILE
SCVMA PROFILE
New Trustee Appears to be Doing
Everything Right as Practice Owner
D
r. Julio Lopez, whose Encino Veterinary
Center has enjoyed unusual success during
the last two years, is excited about joining
the SCVMA Board of Trustees and the challenges
that will bring.
" My understanding is that I'll be there to help support and give
input to any discussion that the board is having. " he said in an interview.
" It will be interesting to see what is coming up in January
[when he attends his first board meeting]. It will be interesting to
see what the dynamic is, what the discussions are about and how
I can contribute. "
Dr. Lopez is coming off two very good years as owner of his first
practice. He started the practice in 2020 and initially was the only
veterinarian, although he had some part-time help. Today it is a
thriving seven-doctor practice.
" We just celebrated our second anniversary, " he said. " We've
been busy, juggling problems with covid and staffing shortages.
During the pandemic, finding staffing has been a big issue in the
veterinary industry. We've been lucky to have made it through
these last two years. "
But Dr. Lopez is thinking big. He is CEO and chief medical officer
of Jade Vets, a company he recently co-founded with two fellow
UCLA graduates who are also veterinarians. Dr. Christine Fabregas-Arnau
is chief happiness and purpose officer and Dr. Noosha
Kohan is chief patient and client experience officer. The three share
the view that a thriving veterinary practice not only cares for pets
but for their owners and for the community.
" Jade Vets basically is going to be a practice group, " Dr. Lopez
said. " We're hoping to either build another practice or acquire
other practices. Our focus is on not just our patients but on our
people. Jade Vets is a name for the veterinary community to get
to know. We're doing things a little differently than most veterinary
companies. "
He said that his Encino Veterinary Center is the first Jade Vets
practice. " It serves as a proof of concept of what we want to do and
how we do things. I think that's what has helped us attract staff
and grow during a period when most practices have struggled to
hire one vet. We have grown to a seven-doctor practice and have
increased our staff as well.
" We are very fortunate, " Dr. Lopez said. " Jade Vets is our brand
for growth moving forward. "
At Encino, he said, " we try to train and educate our staff to help
them achieve their full potential and to get them where they want
to go. That could be in our practice or they could have other goals -
whether becoming a veterinarian or a technician or finding another
career path. We want to be there and help them grow. "
Dr. Lopez said that the name of his new company comes from
the mineral jade.
PULSE
JANUARY 2023
9
" Jade has big meanings
in the Mayan culture [part
of his family background]
and Mesoamerican culture
in general. What it
stands for really resonates
with the values of our
corporation. Those values
are associated with healing,
with compassion and
emotional balance, which
I think is a really big issue
in veterinary medicine.
Another big thing is being
in harmony with nature.
Jade also stands for helping
people reach their goals
and their higher purpose. "
He said that his grandmother and great grandmother both
Julio Lopez, DVM
spoke Mayan. " I know one Mayan word and that is 'peck,' which
means dog. I used to know a few more when I was younger. We
still have some books in Mayan in the garage that were passed on to
my mom from my grandmother. They are translated into Spanish. "
Dr. Lopez met Dr. Megan Nowell, the 2023 SCVMA president,
as fellow members of the CVMA House of Delegates. He looks
forward to working with her, he said.
He keeps in touch with Dr. Stephen Ettinger, a storied SCVMA
member and mentor who is now retired. " I have been lucky enough
to work with Dr. Ettinger since my undergraduate days, " Dr. Lopez
said. " He's had a big impact on everything I do today, including being
a practice owner. "
The new board member grew up in mid-city Los Angeles. His
family of five lived in a run-down one-bedroom apartment during
his teenage years. His father worked as a washing machine repairman
and his mother, who had been a teacher in Mexico, tutored children
after school. The Lopez parents provided their children with
encouragement and support and all three have successful careers.
Dr. Lopez lives in Hollywood, which provides him with easy
access to both his job and entertainment. " Living in the Valley
would be quieter and more family oriented, " he said, " but I am
single. Hollywood is convenient for me because I can balance being
close enough to work with being able to do the things I enjoy,
like going to Dodgers and Lakers games and to concerts. If I lived
in the Valley it would limit my ability to do those things because
of the traffic. " P
Pulse - January 2023

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