VetTemps Taps Industry Veteran for Florida Push, Disrupting Vet Staffing

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – March 10, 2026 – In a significant move signaling its aggressive growth strategy, nationwide relief veterinary staffing agency VetTemps today announced the launch of its new Fort Lauderdale division. The expansion into the burgeoning Southeast market is being spearheaded by the appointment of Phil Gehring, a 25-year locum tenens industry veteran, as the division's President.

This strategic push into Florida positions the two-year-old company to capitalize on a rapidly expanding market for veterinary services, driven by rising pet ownership and a corresponding need for qualified clinical staff. By pairing a high-touch service model with experienced leadership, VetTemps aims to address critical staffing shortages and set a new standard for how veterinary practices and relief professionals partner.

A Calculated Bet on a High-Growth Market

VetTemps' expansion comes at a pivotal time for the healthcare staffing industry. While some sectors have cooled, the locum tenens market continues its upward trajectory, with one industry report noting a 15% revenue increase in 2024. The demand for temporary, highly skilled professionals is particularly acute in veterinary medicine, where clinics grapple with staff burnout, turnover, and the need to maintain continuity of care during leaves of absence or seasonal peaks.

Florida and the wider Southeast have emerged as a key battleground for this demand. By establishing a physical presence in Fort Lauderdale, VetTemps is making a calculated investment in a region it identifies as one of the fastest-growing for veterinary needs. This move allows the agency to provide more localized support and build deeper relationships with both veterinary practices and the pool of relief talent in the area. The company, founded in 2024, is leveraging its early momentum to quickly scale its operations and capture market share in this critical territory.

"I am thrilled to join VetTemps at such an exciting time in its growth," said Phil Gehring, the newly appointed President of the Fort Lauderdale Division. "Tim and Lacey have built an agency that truly puts veterinarians and clinics first with unmatched service and support. I look forward to bringing that same level of excellence to Florida."

Proven Leadership to Spearhead Expansion

Central to VetTemps' Florida strategy is the appointment of Phil Gehring. With more than two and a half decades of experience, Gehring brings a deep well of knowledge in staffing operations, sales strategy, and relationship management. His most recent role was with Weatherby Locums in Fort Lauderdale, where he built a formidable reputation, consistently ranking as a top producer and earning multiple President's Club awards.

He is widely recognized within the industry for his exceptional leadership and an innate ability to inspire and build high-performing teams. This reputation was a key factor in his selection, as VetTemps looks to establish a strong local culture and attract top talent. In his new role, Gehring is tasked with building the Fort Lauderdale team from the ground up, driving sales, and cementing the VetTemps brand throughout the Southeast.

VetTemps CEO and Co-Founder Tim Devereux underscored the significance of the hire. "I have known Phil for over 25 years and consider it a great honor that he is embarking on the next phase of his career with VetTemps," Devereux stated. "His vast knowledge of staffing, combined with his exceptional people skills and the way he naturally draws people in—making them want to be part of what he's building—will be invaluable as we grow our footprint and continue setting the gold standard for veterinary relief staffing."

A Legacy of Building and Scaling Staffing Ventures

While VetTemps is a relatively new player in the veterinary space, its founders, the husband-and-wife team of Tim Devereux and Lacey Salzer, are seasoned entrepreneurs with a proven formula for success. Before launching VetTemps, they founded Integrity Locums in 2012, a physician staffing firm they started from their home office.

Over the next decade, they scaled Integrity Locums into a powerhouse, placing over 4,254 physicians and advanced practice providers in 866 facilities across the United States. The company booked 156,000 days of coverage, served over 2.8 million patients, and grew to a team of 90 employees across 22 states. This impressive growth earned Integrity Locums a spot on the 2023 Staffing Industry Analysts list of the Largest U.S. Locum Tenens Staffing Firms and certification as a "Great Place to Work."

In May 2025, Devereux and Salzer orchestrated the successful sale of Integrity Locums to All Star Healthcare Solutions, a larger firm backed by the private equity group Knox Lane. This exit not only validated their business model but also provided them with the capital and experience to identify and tackle a new market challenge. They identified a significant gap in the veterinary field for a true, travel-focused agency dedicated to providing premium, personalized service, which led to the creation of VetTemps.

Redefining Relief Work with a 'White-Glove' Model

VetTemps differentiates itself in a crowded market with what it calls a "white-glove, concierge-style approach." This model is designed to eliminate the common logistical and administrative burdens that often detract from the experience of relief work for both veterinarians and the clinics that hire them. While some platforms, like Relief Rover, empower professionals to manage their own independent businesses, VetTemps offers a comprehensive, hands-on support system.

The agency’s premium service package includes several key benefits that are not standard across the industry. VetTemps provides fully prepaid travel and comfortable lodging for every assignment, removing a significant financial and logistical hurdle for traveling veterinarians. It also provides comprehensive malpractice insurance coverage for all its placed professionals, another critical but often self-managed aspect of independent contract work.

Furthermore, the company ensures consistent cash flow through weekly direct payments to its 1099 independent contractors and assigns a highly trained, dedicated consultant to guide each professional through every step of the process—from the initial match and credentialing to scheduling and onboarding. By handling these details, VetTemps allows relief veterinarians to arrive at an assignment rested, prepared, and ready to focus entirely on providing outstanding patient care. This focus on quality over quantity and seamless partnership ensures that practices can maintain operational continuity without sacrificing their standard of care. It is this comprehensive support system that Gehring and his new team will now introduce to the veterinary community in the Southeast.