Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Mathews.
Hi Victoria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Walla Walla and dreamt about becoming a veterinarian since I was 5 years old. After I graduated high school I went on to get my Bachelor’s degree in Biology at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado. Although I applied to vet school I did not get in and elected to go do an internship in South Africa. I lived in South Africa for 2 years working with wildlife and helped to open up a wildlife veterinary clinic there through one of my jobs at a conservation facility. I got into vet school the second time I applied but I elected to delay for another year while I continued working in Africa and loving that work. In 2017 I moved to Australia to go to vet school. I went to the University of Melbourne and lived there for the 4 years of post grad. Upon graduation, due to covid I moved home and got a job as a veterinarian in Pendleton. I worked for 5.5 years as an associate veterinarian at a private vet clinic and loved the job and the small town, home town community. Along with meeting my husband there is a reason I stayed in Pendleton and it is because it felt like home. After just over 5 years at the other vet clinic I decided this community needed something different, and I was ready to build something on my own. With the support of my husband, family, friends and honestly the community – Blue Mountain Vet Clinic became reality. Our goal is to be a small town clinic serving the community and doing as much education and outreach as we can. We are offering payment options that aren’t available at other clinics and services that aren’t offered either – both mobile and in clinic, emergency, surgeries, dentals, and most small animal services. We are filling a void that I think has been in this town for a while. We will be doing vaccine clinics and spay/neuter clinics starting in the next 6 months that allow for lower priced spays and neuters and vaccines so we can make sure to get all the pets taken care of even if funds are low. It won’t be something that we can do every day but a few times a year and it will allow us to give back to the community that has been supporting us through our opening.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say it has been the smoothest road, there has been difficulty with permitting, building the temporary and now brand new clinic. There have been financial struggles – when needing to find funding, and finding the best place to build. I will say though that I have been lucky and I haven’t had to many road blocks… yet at least.
My husband and I worked tirelessly and are continuing to though and I think for one staying positive has helped, but two just being a nice human has helped us along the way. I believe people want to help, and people are more willing to reach out and help if you are treat them well. We are all living in Pendleton, it is a small town and there are politics always, but being kind is the easiest thing you can do and I find that it has made the road to opening this clinic much better than it could have been.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Blue Mountain Veterinary Clinic is a small home town clinic that treats and services small animals (cats and dogs) throughout the north-eastern Oregon region.
Mission Statement:
At Blue Mountain Veterinary Clinic, our mission is to provide compassionate, comprehensive, and community-centered veterinary care to the pets and families of Eastern Oregon. We strive to combine modern medicine with small-town values—delivering exceptional wellness, medical, and emergency services in an approachable, trustworthy environment.
What sets us apart from the rest?
Since the 1970’s there has been 2 vet clinics in Pendleton, Opening Blue Mountain gives people a third option which I think really helps especially as the community has grown. We are offering payment plans through a company we work closely with along with 2 financing options that we take for payments as well so people have options to help cover their pets needs.
We will be doing community outreach within the next 6 month, vaccine clinics and spay/neuter clinics – lower priced events that allow for more pets to be taken care of.
We are building a brand new vet clinic to allow for growth – hopefully allowing us to bring in new veterinarians into the region which is historically difficult in this region – finding people that want to move this way.
We are a family owned and run company – we don’t have a corporate entity controlling us or having a say in what we do.
We are open 1/2 day on Saturday and have a separate lunch from the other clinics so that there is a clinic open during the 12-1pm period that people can get ahold of.
I think what I am most proud of at this point is in general the brand I am building – we are still so new so there isn’t one specific part of the brand that is important. People have responded really well thus far to us and how we do things – the education, the upfront pricing and our delivery. I am proud to say no matter who you are my staff and I are working with anyone and everyone to help each specific pet and the specific treatment they need. I don’t ever want to be cookie cutter, and I think I have done a good job at avoiding that.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Going to the zoo with my family. I loved getting to go and watch the animals and see them in their different habitats. I loved being close to animals that I had only seen on TV.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bluemountainveterinaryclinic.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586112693686
