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Iron Mountain Animal Hospital under new ownership

IRON MOUNTAIN – The Iron Mountain Animal Hospital is under new ownership and management.

The clinic announced that longtime owners Dr. Jim Nicolas and his wife Mary Jean have sold the practice to Dr. Brian Scott and his wife Michelle.

The change of ownership was effective Aug. 1.

The Iron Mountain Animal Hospital has had a long history in Dickinson County beginning when the practice was established in 1972 by Dr. Robert Hein at a location on River Avenue in Iron Mountain.

After completing his veterinary education at Michigan State University in 1976, Dr. Nicolas and his wife Mary Jean returned to their hometown area where he joined the practice.

The Iron Mountain Animal Hospital was completely destroyed by a late night fire in 1986. Dr. Hein and Dr. Nicolas then set up a temporary clinic at the Spring Lake Humane Society. The next move was to a a building on the corner of Kent Street and Carpenter Avenue until construction for a new facility next door was completed in 1987.

In 1989, the Iron Mountain Animal Hospital passed the rigorous inspection of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and became a fully accredited hospital. This is a distinction which the practice has earned consistently since that time.

AAHA has established high benchmarks of excellence for veterinary practices which are reflected in the fact that only a relatively small number of veterinary practices nationwide become fully accredited.

After this time, the practice underwent a period of steady growth from a one doctor practice to a six doctor practice which culminated in the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility in 2010.

“During this time, the expectations for expanded services placed upon us by our valued clients, coupled with major advances in technology, required that we invest in the future of Iron Mountain Animal Hospital. Looking back, this has proven to be a good decision for our community,” noted Dr. Nicolas.

After nearly 40 years of practice, Dr. Nicolas has seen many changes in veterinary medicine.

“Not unlike the medical and dental professions, veterinary medicine has undergone several noteworthy changes over the years. It has not only been in technology, but also in the services we provide,” Dr. Nicolas said.

He added that significant advancements in recent years have been in the areas of preventive medicine, diagnostics and surgical care.

The new owner and medical director, Dr. Brian Scott, joined the practice in 2004. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Scott moved to the area along with his wife Michelle.

During the past 10 years, he has worked closely with Dr. Nicolas to help craft the vision for the future of the practice while focusing a great deal of his professional time upon expanding the clinic’s services such as advanced orthopedics along with increasing the clinic’s role in the community.

“Michelle and I and our family are deeply appreciative to Jim and Mary Jean for helping us create the foundation to what we believe will be a rewarding career here in the Iron Mountain area,” Dr. Scott noted.

“Not only is this a wonderful place to raise our family, but we have personally created many bonds and friendships with the good people of this community. Being able to practice my profession in a community which appreciates and supports the investment in which the Iron Mountain Animal Hospital has made to serve Dickinson County and the surrounding area is personally very fulfilling,” Dr. Scott added.

“Mary Jean and I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have been able to return home after college and to raise our family and build our careers in this area. We are deeply indebted to the confidence that our clients placed in us these many years. Also, I would like to personally thank Mary Jean for serving as my business manager at Iron Mountain Animal Hospital for the past 14 years. During this time of rapid growth of the practice and the new construction of the hospital, her help was very beneficial and greatly appreciated,” Dr. Nicolas said.

He added his appreciation to Dr. Scott and Michelle as well as the entire Iron Mountain Animal Hospital staff.

“In turning the reins over to Dr. Scott, he and I both know how fortunate we are to have such quality people on board, both professionally and administratively,” Dr. Nicolas said.

Dr. Scott went on to mention that the practice is committed to building on the high level of care which the community has come to expect. “Our goal remains to provide affordable, high quality veterinary care in response to the growing needs of our community.”

“Veterinary care is and always will be a service. My goal is to serve the community and their companion animals as if I was serving my own family and my own pets,” Dr. Scott said.

He added that the clinic will soon be introducing home delivery of veterinary medicines and products through the use of their very own online shopping located on the Iron Mountain Animal Hospital’s website.

Dr. Scott is joined on the staff at Iron Mountain Animal Hospital by four associates. Dr. Pauline Schroeder is a fellow graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Jessica Abraham is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Kim VanLaarhoven is a graduate of the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island; and Dr. Jordan Hughey is also a graduate of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

A new certified practice manager, Stephanie Mieras, has also joined the practice.

“Dr. Nicolas will remain on staff on a part-time basis as he thoroughly enjoys his career and the bonds with his clients,” Dr. Scott said.

“Our group of professionals are unique in the way that we continually strive to enhance our own individual knowledge along with our own client relationships, yet we continually share our cases, thoughts and ideas with each other to enhance our animal care and the overall client experience. It’s like having multiple second opinions under the same roof,” Dr. Scott added.

“I am extremely proud of our entire staff and their commitment to exceptional veterinary service. We are a large family that’s highly educated and trained in veterinary medicine, surgery, and preventive care. We are all members of this community with families of our own and we take great pride in serving this community well,” he said.

The Iron Mountain Animal Hospital in located at 325 Kent St. in Iron Mountain.

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