MANCHESTER, NH – Cort Mendez will be the first to tell you that he knew nothing about veterinary medicine a few years ago when he was looking for a new venture. But he did know a good business opportunity when he saw one.
That instinct paid off two weeks ago when PetWellClinic, an urgent care veterinary service, opened at 655 South Willow St. It’s the first of six to 10 PetWell franchises Mendez plans to open in the Granite State.
Mendez, who was the original franchise owner of Five Guys burgers in New Hampshire, said that while veterinary medicine and a hamburger restaurant have little in common, he was attracted to PetWell for the same reasons he was attracted to Five Guys: Both had a simple, streamlined focus.
Tennessee-based PetWell, started in 2006 by a veterinarian, is modeled after urgent care clinics for humans, offering walk-in service for non-emergency care like vaccines, blood tests, minor ailments and preventive care.
Mendez was in medical device sales for 20 years, but even early on he hankered to do something on his own. He’d worked at restaurants, but only in the front end, so, in the late 1990s, he got a job a TGI Fridays in the Washington, D.C., area, where he lived at the time. The two nights a week he worked, while still keeping the medical devices job, was the learning experience he was looking for. Still, when it came time to do it on his own, he decided he wanted a restaurant with a simpler menu and less overhead.
One day he was sitting in a Five Guys mulling his options when he saw a white sign on the wall “with a simple font” seeking franchise owners. The no-frills focus appealed to him.
He said even though his restaurant experience was limited, Five Guys appreciated his business experience and passion. “They took a risk on me,” he said.
Medical devices was a good place to be, Mendez said. “When I left, people said, ‘You’re going to leave this to do a restaurant?’”
Yes, he was. And he had no regrets. Agreeing to take on the New Hampshire franchise region for Five Guys in 2007 turned out to be “the smartest move ever.”
He opened his first Five Guys on Amherst Street in Nashua and, long story short, he soon had 10 successful restaurants in New Hampshire.
While it was a “great ride,” he sold the franchises in 2015.
After a short stint owning two Krispy Kreme doughnut shops in Maine, he was in the market for something that felt like his Five Guys experience. That’s when PetWell came across his desk. The simplicity of the company’s business model impressed him.
“I never expected to be in the burger business,” Mendez said. “Moreso, I never expected to be in the veterinary business.”
‘All new concept’
Mendez found a location for the clinic that fit the PetWell vibe, 1,100 square feet of space in the Shoppes at South Willow. The 191,000-square-foot mixed-use complex that opened in 2019 on the old Osram Sylvania site, owned by Brady-Sullivan, is “a new concept that is great for PetWell’s all new concept,” he said.
PetWell is about “openness, community, kindness,” Mendez said. The words are even part of a large sign on the lobby wall.
The lobby has windows into the treatment rooms so pet guardians, if not in the room with their pet, can still know what’s going on.
“We really want people to be able to see what is happening with their loved one,” he said. “It’s a cool setup.”
People can sign in online, or at an iPad at the front desk. They’re given a number and a monitor shows their rank in the que. “Number three is number three,” Mendez said. “You don’t get triaged if a critical case comes in.”
The location is close to downtown, with its burgeoning residential population, and also a straight shot to Interstate 93 and 293, convenient for people in greater Manchester and farther.
A good fit for Manchester
PetWell is one of many new businesses in the city that fits in with the city’s business development mission, said Erik Lesniak, business liaison in the city’s Economic Development Office.
“What we’re focused on is trying to provide a variety of choices for residents and visitors to the city,” Lesniak said.
With close to 2,000 residential units planned for downtown, the more options people have for services and shopping, the more attractive living in the heart of the city will be, he said.
Businesses that attract visitors from out of town who don’t have that choice where they live also helps the city’s economy.
Lesniak said PetWell is just one of many businesses that have come to Manchester recently, some brand-new and some relocating from other areas in the state.
“We’re trying to attract and work with businesses all over the state and beyond,” he said.
Community, quality of life
Mendez is originally from the Baltimore area, but his mother is a New Hampshire native, and his family spent summers here. Moving to New Hampshire, when he opened up the Five Guys franchises, was coming home in a way.
He is a member of the Nashua Lions Club and said that PetWell’s focus on community service is another thing that attracted him to the company. Once the dust settles from opening, PetWell will be involved in community-based events with shelters and nonprofits.
“It absolutely gelled with me, the way they like to do things in the community and be out there,” he said.
He plans to open up to 10 PetWellClinics in New Hampshire but the biggest challenge is finding veterinarians.
The company was founded by Knoxville, Tennessee veterinarian Sam Meisler. It’s not only committed to pet and customer care, but also committed to making sure vets have a good quality of life in a job that can cause a lot of stress, Mendez said.
The hours the clinic is open – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday – are designed to be manageable for those who work there.
So far, two weeks after opening, things in Manchester are “amazing.” There are two vets at the South Willow clinic – Dr. Jan Allard and Dr. Tasha Krause. Mendez said the clinics only require one, as well as two assistants, and he’s looking for more to sign on before he nails down where the next one will open, but it will likely be the Seacoast or Lakes Region. The most viable spots for the clinics, it turns out, are the same places that were good for Five Guys franchises, he said.
“That’s where the people are, so that’s where the pets are.”
Great article. We are using PetWell now for our kitty and we love them. Dr. Krause is so compassionate and keeps our fur baby calm.
Highly recommend them.