Teri Byrd sells her practice
Without fanfare or even a public announcement of the fact, ownership of Madison Park Veterinary Hospital changed hands on Tuesday morning and Dr. Barry Katz, having just arrived on the scene from Atlanta, took charge. The clinic's four-year owner, Dr. Teri Byrd, apparently decided to sell her practice in February but did not want that fact generally known. We understand that she didn't tell many people of the impending management change until several days before it became a fact. Though we don't know what factors may have prompted Byrd's decision to sell, we hear she felt she was ready for a sabbatical---one which has apparently already begun in Maui.
By Thursday, Katz had formalized his arrival in the neighborhood with an "Hello Madison Park" letter on the clinic's website. In it, he says "we have chosen the Madison Park area because it immediately felt like home to us. My wife, Jenya Katz, is from the west coast. She grew up in Southern California, where her family still resides. Now that we have a family of our own, we knew in our hearts that we needed to move out west so our kids can be closer to their grandparents. Seattle was the place for us!" Katz tells us that he drove into the neighborhood and decided he liked the place before even having set eyes on the actual clinic he was considering buying.
He and his wife, who is also a veterinarian, have two young children. The rest of the family will stay behind in Atlanta until school is out and then join our new vet somewhere here in the Seattle area. Katz is living temporarily in Bellevue; but ideally, he says, he would like find a place closer to the clinic before the family arrives. His wife, he reports, will not initially be working at Madison Park Veterinary, though she may practice at another clinic at some point.
No major changes are currently planned for the clinic, Katz notes, except that Saturday hours will be added to the schedule later in the Spring. Madison Park Veterinary will hold an open house on Saturday, March 31, 11 am until 2 pm, where you can meet Barry and quiz him on whether he's a cat person or a dog person. Not that we expect him to tell you.
[Madison Park Veterinary Hospital is located at 4016 E. Madison Street.]
I hope Barry has a vet practice that is not so 'fru fur', high end. How about just good, straightforward vet care at reasonable prices? Teri Byrd was so expensive that it was worth looking on Yelp for Seattle vets outside Madison Park with good reputations and reasonable rates. I wonder if she overpriced herself out of business?
ReplyDeletetotally agree! every time I took our dog or two cats for basic exams and shots, it seemed like her staff wanted to charge me $500 - each. I just started looking around, will check out Dr Katz.
DeleteSo for the vet we're going from Byrd to Katz? Apparently people's names really do influence their careers!
ReplyDeleteI agree! I knew a Dr. Fish once as well, no joke!
DeleteWell, he could have moved to Nashville instead of Mad Park an become "Nashville Katz."
DeleteWe need a book store. Ipad,kindle be damned. The cats and dogs can go to Rainier Veterinary Hospital, the best place to bring a loved pet for health check ups and loving care. It's a dump but your pet won't notice that. They will notice how good the vets and staff are.
ReplyDeleteThere are several bookstores on Rainier already that are very nice and affordable. I agree that the outside of Rainier Vet may look questionable, but I think it is just the area it is in.
DeleteI will really miss Dr. Byrd as my vet. She loved my cat almost more than
ReplyDeleteI do. Dr. Katz has a lot to live up to with care and love for our pets.
Good Luck Dr. Byrd, I hope all goes well in your next endeavor. Thank you for being so wonderful to all of us.
Thank you from my heart to all of my wonderful clients and patients I treated over the years in Madison Park. I will miss you! I wish you all the best in your lives and long healthy lives for your pets. Dr. Barry Katz is a wonderful, highly competent practitioner who will take wonderful care of your loved ones. Take Care, Teri Byrd DVM
ReplyDeleteOur rescheduled open house will be April 14, 2012 from 11 am to 2 pm. We will have food and drink, as well as door prizes. Please feel free to come by and meet Dr. Katz!! We are very blessed to have him as our new practice owner!!
ReplyDeleteI love how they fixed up the tree well. I hope that the other businesses in Madison Park follow their example.
ReplyDeleteDr. Byrd, thank you for the wonderful care you have given my cats over the years. Have a wonderful sabbatical, and if you start a practice in Seattle at some point in the future, please let us know. You are one of the most caring and compassionate vets I've had the privilege to know.
ReplyDelete