The Expansion Engine Behind GoodVets‘ Growth to 70 Animal Hospitals

How GoodVets replaced a fragmented permitting process with a centralized partner that helped keep its aggressive development pipeline moving.

GoodVets is one of the fastest-growing veterinary groups in the country. In roughly three years, GoodVets expanded from 22 hospitals to 70—more than tripling its physical footprint—with more than 2 dozen additional locations planned.

Rapid growth brings permitting challenges that become more complex with every new market. GoodVets needed a permitting partner that could accelerate its development pipeline while replacing the fragmented, project-by-project process it had outgrown.

The Challenge

As GoodVets entered new markets, every additional hospital introduced a different permitting process, jurisdiction, and set of stakeholders. Roger Almanza, VP of Construction Operations, oversees construction and permitting for GoodVets. With 6 to 10 active construction projects typically running at any given time, his team had been managing permitting through local expediters, sourced project by project. This patchwork permitting process quickly became impossible to manage.

“There was never any consistency,” Roger explains. “And whether it was responding to email or logging into a platform, it was difficult to keep up."

In addition to the logistical headaches, the costs piled up. For every extra week spent in permitting, dead rent accumulated, contractors sat idle, and clinic openings slipped. For a brand growing this fast, every week of delay meant a week of missed potential revenue.

The Solution

GoodVets began working with Pulley to see if they could gain more visibility and consistency through their permitting process.

Handling permitting end-to-end, from upfront jurisdiction research and submittal preparation through comment response and permit issuance, Pulley gave Roger's team what they'd been missing: one place to see where every project stood, one team accountable for every step, and a process that worked the same way in every market.

"It makes it so much easier being in one simple platform," Roger says. Stakeholders across each project—including architects and engineers—could collaborate through Pulley's platform instead of chasing each other across email chains and disconnected systems.

"The quick promptness in response, the open lines of communication… It's changed our game immensely," Roger says. "I rant and rave [about Pulley] to all our other vendors and even our leadership team."

The Wins

Two projects demonstrate how a more predictable permitting process helped GoodVets save time, reduce costs, and keep its expansion pipeline moving.

In West Point, UT, GoodVets secured approval in just 36 days with zero comments.

Before submitting, Pulley's team conducted detailed jurisdiction research to understand exactly what the AHJ required and identify the issues most likely to trigger reviewer feedback. Drawing on insights from thousands of past submissions, Pulley helped GoodVets proactively address potential issues before they ever reached the reviewer, so there was nothing for the reviewer to push back on.

For Roger, the value of such a speedy turnaround is concrete—less dead rent. "That's really what it comes down to," he says. "We have such tight rent commencement dates, and they typically start a lot faster than we anticipate."

In Bonita Springs, FL, GoodVets secured approval in just 11 weeks, with the permit in hand before they'd even confirmed a general contractor.

From the outset, Pulley kept permitting moving through parallel workstreams, making sure GoodVets was informed at every stage and maintaining close communication with the AHJ to ensure nothing stalled in review. When reviewer comments did come back, Pulley's team coordinated across stakeholders to resolve them quickly and keep the project moving.

Securing permit approval early allowed GoodVets to keep the broader construction schedule moving instead of waiting for permitting to catch up.

• "We've had so many projects where we have permits way ahead before we even have a contractor, and before the site's even been delivered to us by the landlord," Roger says. "It definitely keeps us way ahead of the game."*

For a team managing tight rent commencement dates across multiple markets, that head start has turned dead rent from a looming risk into a non-issue.

A Permitting Partner Built for Expansion

For Roger, Pulley evolved beyond a permitting vendor. It became an extension of the team, remaining responsive to feedback and adapting alongside GoodVets as the company continued expanding into new markets

"There have been things that I have requested, and the team says, 'That's great, let me look into it,’” he says. “Pulley even being willing to consider and take our feedback is great. We also want to help grow this service.”

[Ready to build with a permitting partner that can scale alongside your team? Let's talk.]