Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony- October 25, 2005
Opening Remarks- Dr. Ann Schneider, Director

Thank you all for joining us on this very cold and wet occasion.

I see donor owners, members of the local veterinary community, members of the local chamber and long-term friends of the blood bank.

Thank you ALL for coming!

The EVBB's mission from the start was to form a top quality national blood bank, which operated in the most humane way possible. That meant ONLY volunteer canine donors-not dogs kept in a colony for the express purpose of providing blood.

This was a major undertaking; we were not just creating a business, but also creating a niche for ourselves in the infant veterinary blood banking industry.

As some of you know, the EVBB's beginning in 1993 was a very humble time. With a staff of 4, we shared all of the many duties of starting this venture. After a while, it was clear we couldn't support 4 employees, so we went down to 3. It was ROUGH. We struggled with the veterinary community's relative disinterest in our service. Our small initial blood donor base was more than we needed for the sluggish demand. It was our vision and our mission that kept us on task; we were intent on sustaining this new business.

The years went by, and transfusion medicine became the hot topic at veterinary conferences and in the journals. Demand slowly rose, and one day the balance finally shifted — instead of worrying about the lack of demand, we started work on increasing our donor pool. From one DVM we expanded to one and one half and then to two. Our office staff expanded to 10, and each new employee learned and mastered their areas. With this specialization came the very welcome change that initiative and creativity came from within our staff...not just from management.

The EVBB has endured incredible hardship-we overcame tremendous adversity to reach this point. All of this behind us, we feel strong and invincible. We ride the waves of supply and demand like skilled surfers, and we are ready for whatever comes our way.

Today's event marks, not just relocation, but also a new beginning for us. We have waited a long time for the magical combination of a great facility, a great staff, and a great management team. We are now ready for a bold new start.

EVBB Staff and Dignitaries Cut the Ribbon