Cornerstone Veterinary opens Saratoga Springs location - Biz Beat

He went on to study veterinary medicine at Ohio State.

His wife Lisa grew up in Burnt Hills and always had a love of science, figuring things out and trying to help people.

“I think it was actually sixth grade when I committed, I'm like, 'OK, I'm going to become a vet,'” she said.

So she started visiting and observing at the local veterinary hospital before going on to study and earn a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Iowa State University in 2006.

The couple, who practiced in both northwest Ohio and western Pennsylvania, eventually moved to New York's Capital Region, opening Cornerstone Veterinary Hospital of Clifton Park in 2015. However, by 2019, they moved to 1245 Route 146.

Now, the couple is celebrating the opening of its second location at 92 East Ave. in Saratoga Springs.

“We're very familiar and very comfortable with multiple locations and being able to offer that,” Alan said. “That was always a goal of ours, if the right situation presented itself.”

He said, for them, it’s all about helping people and their pets.

“For Saratoga, we knew it was a great community and a great location, but we knew we had team members that wanted to be here and wanted to grow that practice,” he said.

The new location is smaller than the Clifton Park location, but still offers a full range of services from vaccines and dental care to surgery. 

One thing that sets Cornerstone apart from other businesses is it is American Animal Hospital Association certified, which only 15% of veterinary practices in the country are, the couple said.

“That's hugely important to us, that we follow those standards, because we know that's going to give the pets the best medicine and the client the best experience,” Lisa said. “So that's hugely important to us.”

She also said they are fear-free certified, which means they use tactics to ease triggers that can cause pets to become fearful.

“We've just seen such an improvement in the way animals act when they walk in the door, in the way that we're able to help them by utilizing those fear-free techniques; giving them lots of treats and praise and positive reinforcement and I think that sets us apart, too,” Lisa said. “We're not going to just hold an animal down to give it a vaccine. We're going to make them comfortable first, and so that they trust us that we're going to be able to provide care for them.”

Alan said they like to offer a more tailored approach.

“I think it allows us to really focus on the pet, allows us to focus on their family too, and make sure that we know them by name,” he said. “I mean, I know that sounds silly, but when they come in, we know who they are, we know what they are, their families, pets. We know where they've been. We know where they're at in the community.”

The couple said they may continue to expand in the future.

“We're never going to rule anything out,” Alan said.

However, the couple said they’re not just opening locations arbitrarily but rather making sure their focus remains on the people and animals they serve. 

“We want to grow in the right way and in the right situations, so that we're helping the community and having the right team in place,” Lisa said.

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