New Firm Offers Lifeline to Vets Squeezed by Costs and Corporate Giants

PHOENIX, AZ – July 14, 2026 – The neighborhood veterinarian, a cornerstone of many communities, is under siege. Caught between the pincers of soaring operational costs and the ever-expanding footprint of corporate-owned chains, independent clinics are fighting to maintain their financial health. It’s a battle fought not in the operating room, but on spreadsheets and supplier invoices. Into this challenging environment steps Cura Veterinary Partners, a new procurement consulting firm launched today with a singular mission: to level the playing field for independent practices.

Founded by former management consultant Brian Fosselman, the firm aims to bring the kind of sophisticated cost-optimization strategies typically reserved for large corporations to the fragmented world of independent veterinary medicine. By tackling everything from pharmaceuticals and lab services to insurance and payment processing, Cura proposes a way for these vital small businesses to reclaim their profit margins without sacrificing care.

The Squeeze on Independent Practices

For years, the story of veterinary medicine has been one of growth, fueled by a boom in pet ownership. Yet, beneath the surface of busy waiting rooms, a different narrative has been unfolding. According to recent economic data from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), while revenues have grown, rising expenses are thinning margins, leaving many practice owners feeling like they are running in place.

"We're busier than ever, but our profitability is shrinking," one Midwest practice manager shared on the condition of anonymity. "Every time we turn around, a supplier invoice is higher, or a key piece of equipment needs a costly repair. The cost of labor alone has become our biggest challenge." This sentiment is echoed across the industry. A nationwide shortage of veterinarians and skilled technicians has driven up wages and benefits, which already account for a substantial portion of a clinic's budget. Simultaneously, supply chain disruptions have led to volatile pricing and availability for everything from specialized drugs to basic surgical supplies. These pressures are not just abstract economic forces; they directly impact a clinic's ability to invest in new technology, retain staff, and ultimately, keep prices reasonable for pet owners who are themselves feeling the pinch of inflation.

The Corporate Shadow

The financial pressure is compounded by a dramatic shift in the competitive landscape. Since 2017, the pace of corporate consolidation has accelerated, with private equity firms and large veterinary groups acquiring independent practices at a rapid clip. Today, nearly one-in-three general practices are corporate-owned, and these larger entities command disproportionate purchasing power. They can negotiate bulk discounts and favorable terms that a standalone clinic simply cannot access.

This creates a significant competitive disadvantage. While an independent vet might be negotiating with a handful of suppliers for their small-volume orders, a corporate entity is leveraging the purchasing volume of hundreds of hospitals. The result is a structural imbalance that makes it harder for independent clinics to compete on price and profitability. This trend doesn't just affect veterinarians; industry observers have noted that corporate acquisitions often coincide with increased prices for consumers, raising concerns about the long-term affordability of pet care.

A New Playbook for Procurement

This is the precise gap Cura Veterinary Partners intends to fill. The firm is not a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), which primarily aggregates buying power. Instead, it offers a hands-on, strategic consulting model. The process involves a deep dive into a clinic's spending, a process they call "spend baselining," followed by competitive market checks, formal requests for proposals (RFPs), and direct vendor negotiation.

“Independent veterinary clinics face cost pressure across many parts of the business, but vendor spend is often fragmented, opaque, and difficult to benchmark,” said Brian Fosselman, Founder of Cura Veterinary Partners, in the launch announcement. “Larger organizations often have more dedicated resources and purchasing leverage, while independent practices are often left to navigate those decisions on their own.” Fosselman's vision is to act as that dedicated resource, providing the analytical rigor and negotiating muscle that individual practice owners lack the time and leverage to develop themselves.

The firm’s scope extends beyond just medical supplies, covering a wide array of recurring operational expenses like teleradiology, payment processing, and even digital marketing—areas where complex contracts and opaque pricing can hide significant savings.

The Bet on Performance

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Cura's model is its fee structure. The firm's compensation is tied directly to the documented savings it achieves for a client. This performance-based model is a significant departure from traditional consulting's upfront retainers or fixed project fees. For a small business owner wary of taking on new expenses, this approach de-risks the engagement. The clinic only pays if the firm delivers tangible, measurable financial benefits.

This model aligns incentives perfectly. The firm is motivated to find the deepest, most sustainable savings possible. The credibility for such a promise comes from Fosselman’s background. With an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a career in management consulting focused on procurement optimization, he brings a specialized skill set that is rare within the veterinary industry itself. It's a calculated bet that this expertise can unlock efficiencies that have been hiding in plain sight.

An Emerging Support Ecosystem

Cura's launch is not an isolated event but rather a signal of a broader trend. As consolidation reshapes various sectors of the economy, a new ecosystem of specialized service providers is emerging to support the independent businesses that remain. From boutique marketing firms to fractional CFO services, these companies provide small and medium-sized businesses with access to the same caliber of strategic expertise that was once the exclusive domain of large corporations.

By arming independent veterinary clinics with better data, more negotiating power, and a clearer view of their own spending, firms like Cura Veterinary Partners are offering more than just cost savings. They are providing a strategic toolkit for survival and resilience, helping to ensure that the landscape of veterinary care remains diverse and that pet owners continue to have a choice between a corporate chain and their local, independent veterinarian.