Management
VitalPet’s management, board and investors have a proven track record of success in a variety of industries.
Dr. James Kelly
Partner and Chairman of Medical Board
Dr. Kelly serves as the Chairman of the VitalPet Medical Board. The VitalPet medical board, an industry first within a corporate practice, is under the leadership of seasoned entrepreneurial veterinarians (the “Partners”), but relies on substantial input from associate veterinarians who exhibit leadership. Dr. Kelly developed the initial charter of the Medical Board, which makes all decisions related the practice of quality medicine at VitalPet. By design, the non-DVM management team of VitalPet does not vote on Medical Board decisions.
Previously, Dr. Kelly was the President of the Eastex Veterinary Group, where he served as a Partner since 1978. Eastex Veterinary group grew to four practices and developed a family oriented culture with a strong commitment to high quality of medicine, and was one of Houston’s largest and most successful veterinary medical groups. Dr. Kelly’s professional interest includes dermatology.
Dr. Kelly is a graduate of Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine.
Benjamin Thomas
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Benjamin is a entrepreneur with a track record of success. He founded VitalPet in 2008 with a vision to become the “premier provider of veterinary care in Texas”, combining the skills of committed, reputable veterinarians with professional management support at a local level. Benjamin spent two years planning the VitalPet launch, and studied the strengths and weaknesses of other veterinary groups to create a business plan where “everyone wins”. When VitalPet was ready to launch, nearly 30 individuals, many of whom backed Benjamin successfully before, invested capital to finance the first 15 hospitals.
At the age of 26, with no money or prior business experience, Benjamin founded his first business, initially funded by $50K from an investor who “took a flyer”. Through acquisition and growth, the business grew to over $50mm in revenue and sold in April of 2009 for nearly $200 million in cash, three weeks after the markets hit a ten year low. To build the company, Benjamin surrounded himself with an experienced team, including the former CEO of Sabre Systems, the co-founder of Alamo Rent-a-Car.
Benjamin learned the veterinary services industry while serving on the founding team of a veterinary group from inception to over $30 million in revenue and 12 acquisitions. This company grew to achieve approximately $80 million in revenue before a sale in January 2008 for $130 million.
Benjamin’s career began in project engineering at Lockheed Martin (NASA shuttle program), followed by management consulting work at Accenture and Emerging.
A native Texan, Benjamin came from a family of three generations of Texas medical doctors. His grandfather, John F. Thomas, served as the chairman of the Texas Board of Medical Examiners. Benjamin holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering (with Honors) from Tulane University and a masters degree from Stanford Business School.
Dr. Cassie Meier
Vice President, Operations
Dr. Meier graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996. The next 12 years were spent working with national veterinary group where she gained experience opening and growing a number of practices in Oregon, Florida, and Texas. Additionally, she opened and operated a franchise hospital in McKinney, Texas before moving back to Oregon to assist franchise hospital operations at a corporate level.
Dr. Meier grew up in Amarillo, Texas before attending Texas A&M University for her undergraduate studies. She knew at a young age the veterinary medicine was the only pursuit for happiness, but also enjoys home renovations as a DIY wannabe. In addition to her passion for helping pets as a veterinarian, she serves as the president of Hillcrest Animal Rescue that is an all-breed 501c3 organization that seeks to find loving forever homes for hundreds of pets each year.
Her role with Vitalpet is based in a strong leadership style combined with a focus on team building that places a premium on having success measured by the quality of life of employees that promotes a healthy and happy place to work.
Marcus Jonesi
Vice President, Finance and Technology
Marcus is a servant leader who believes providing a corporate environment that empowers employees to excel at their functions is one of the top priorities of a management team. He has over 24 years of executive leadership experience within a broad spectrum of consulting and service organizations, ranging in size from small boutiques to large, national organizations. In addition to the finance and administrative functions he has performed in all of his positions, Marcus’ experience includes over 15 years in COO, CIO, and business development roles. He joined VitalPet in late-February 2011 to head up the accounting, finance, and technology areas for the Company.
Marcus graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a B.A. in Business Economics. He was awarded an Elijah Watt Sells Certificate for scoring in the top 100 in the United States on the May 1981 CPA Exam. Marcus began his career at Ernst & Young in 1981, where he served as a management consultant.
Married for 21 years, Marcus has one daughter and resides in Houston, Texas. He loves reading and creative writing, plays an active leadership role in the organizations that support his daughter’s interests in school and community service, and is a Board member of several faith-based organizations. Marcus is in the final year of completing his Masters of Theology (Bible Study & Theology Emphasis) from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Mark D. Hamel
Advisory Board Member
Mark is a marketing guru who specializes in using non traditional means to get the message out. Pet Butler, Mark’s entrepreneurial venture, is “#1 in the #2 business”. Pet Butler relieves thousands of happy clients of the responsibility of disposing of their beloved pets untidy deposits in the back yard. Pet Butler’s Toyota trucks, wrapped in green stuff, can be seen combing the Texas suburbs in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston.
Mark is currently the CEO of Umbrella Group L.L.C. Prior to the purchase of Pet Butler, Mr Hamel was the Manager, Southwest Region for Perot Systems Revenue Cycle Business. Prior to Perot Systems, Mr. Hamel ran a 70 million dollar business unit for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Hamel is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a degree in Engineering. He served in the Army after graduation and served in Desert Storm, Africa, and Central America.
Tom D’Agostino
Board Member
Tom believes great businesses are built only when the team is committed for the long haul. Those who work with Tom know that he refuses to be involved with “quick turn” operations. Tom was an early investor in VitalPet, and applies his extensive business experience to its long term success.
Tom has spent over thirty years building, consolidating and leading companies in the print industry. Tom currently serves as Chairman of SmartSource, LLC, a business print outsourcer that offers client companies a variety of solutions to cut costs and inefficiencies in their print programs.
Prior to his work at SmartSource, Tom spent five years as Chairman and CEO of Workflow Management, Inc., a publicly traded printing company with over 6,500 employees. During his tenure as Chairman and CEO, Workflow Management became the seventh largest printing company in the United States and achieved a market capitalization of nearly $2 billion. Tom built the company that would become Workflow Management through a series of over eighty acquisitions, beginning with the acquisition of Standard Forms, Inc. in 1988.
Tom began his career in the print industry in Philadelphia, PA in 1971 when he formed his first company, Forms & Peripherals after attending Villanova University and spending seven years in the Army Reserves. Tom serves on a number of philanthropic boards and has been recognized as one of the most innovative leaders in the print industry.
David S. Oliver
Board Member
David believes that every business is only as good as the people who deliver exceptional service to customers and employees alike. With a strong vision for the future David joined the VitalPet Team as an investor and on the Board of Directors knowing that the team is driven to create excellence within the veterinary care industry.
In 2005, representing the third generation, David became the fifth President of Oliver Sprinkler Company Inc., the largest commercial fire protection provider in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The business, starting in 1957, has a culture deeply rooted in delivering service. Under his direction Oliver has expanded appreciably within the Philadelphia area and surrounding regions.
As an active member within the community and industry David serves on several Boards including; The Fire Advisory Board for the City of Philadelphia, PenJerDel Industry Promotion Board, and the Wiginton Fire Systems Inc Board of Directors. He is also active in the Vistage Chief Executive Organization and Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
David holds a BA in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College and a masters in business administration from Villanova University.
