Belcher Animal Hospital has been part of the Clearwater, Florida community for nearly four decades. In 2022, the hospital entered a new chapter when Dr. Jamie Arredondo stepped into an ownership role and brought a fresh vision with her.
Under her leadership, the hospital began to evolve into something more than a traditional veterinary clinic. With a focus on proactive and preventative care, Belcher introduced services like laser therapy, acupuncture, and homeopathics – an approach they refer to as a “Veterinary MedSpa.” By blending Eastern and Western medicine, Belcher supports pet wellness through every stage of life, helping families do just a little more to keep their animals feeling their best.
Getting a Handle on the Shelves
When Dr. Arredondo took over Belcher Animal Hospital, the clinic wasn’t just ready for a new vision – it also needed an upgrade behind the scenes. One area that stood out was inventory.
That’s where Marissa Preston, the hospital manager, stepped in – and saved the day. Inheriting a stockroom full of expired meds, scattered systems, and little organization, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. “The PIMS wasn’t organized when we first came on. It was quite a mess,” she says.
With guidance from Nicole Clausen, founder of Veterinary Care Logistics and co-founder of Inventory Ally, Marissa completely restructured how inventory was tracked and managed. She implemented reorder tags, set reorder points in the system, and began using the order list for one-off supplies like white goods. It was a heavy lift – but it paid off.
What was once a chaotic inventory process became one of the most reliable parts of the hospital’s operations. “My inventory is my prized possession at this point,” Marissa says with a smile – and rightfully so.
But even with a solid setup, there was room to do better, especially in a hospital focused on modernization. One of Marissa’s main goals was making sure those rare stockouts stayed rare. “It’s tough when you think you have something, your doctors expect it to be there, and then it’s not. And potentially, you’ve just lost that business,” she says. Alongside keeping shelves consistently stocked, she also hoped to spend less time managing inventory each week. With growth on the horizon, creating a more efficient, predictable system felt like the right next step.
Making Room for What Matters
Marissa wanted to invest her time in the things that help the hospital grow – which meant spending less of it on inventory.
As a hospital manager, her responsibilities go far beyond restocking shelves. “I need to be there for my team,” she says. “That means being away from my desk – on the floor, observing, training, helping them grow – and not bouncing between cabinets, checking shelves, and sorting through a want list. I wanted a solution that could do more of the work for me and give me confidence that we weren’t going to run out of things.”
Kenneth Dick, who works alongside Marissa in leading the hospital, saw it the same way. “Inventory is hard to do, because it’s just so much volume,” he says. “But a computer should be able to help you. So we’re trying to refocus all of the brainpower at client service – and use tools to do the things that just have to be accurate.”
Inventory Ally gave them a way to do just that.
Building a System That Scales
Now that Inventory Ally is in place – tracking usage, generating recommendations, and organizing data – Kenneth sees a new opportunity to reimagine how inventory is managed at Belcher Animal Hospital.
The clinic intends to grow, with plans for more doctors, more surgeries, and more supplies moving through the doors. Rather than keeping inventory centralized under one person, Kenneth envisions a process where responsibility is shared – and guided by real-time data.
“I’d like inventory to be something that different team leads can manage,” Ken explains. “The kennel leader can handle food and cleaning supplies. Reception can take care of over-the-counter items, go-home meds, and the simpler stuff. Then our treatment leader can be responsible for things like lab supplies, surgery, and major medications.”
“We’re trying to take all of the expertise out of inventory – and let the software handle the thinking,” he sums up.
More Time, More Confidence
With Inventory Ally bringing predictability and automation into the inventory process, Marissa has been able to shift her focus back to leading her team and growing the hospital. What once took her a full workday each week now takes less than an hour.
That efficiency boost hasn’t just saved time – it’s brought peace of mind and created space for the hospital’s bigger goals: better care, a stronger team, and a smoother path to growth.
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