The Two Stages That Matter Most
Whether we're in-person at VMX and WVC, or a guest on a leading podcast, we're consistently sharing market intelligence with thousands of practice owners each year.
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An exceptional broker teaches first and sells second.
Dr. Gary Ackerman
Founder, Ackerman Group
We believe the best outcomes come when practice owners fully understand their practice’s performance, their value, and their potential paths forward. Our reputation as the veterinary profession’s leading practice broker has been earned by tirelessly educating clients — from our first conversation to their final exit from ownership.
50 Practices Sold in 2025
More corporate-bound veterinary practice sales than any other advisor
168 Offers Reviewed in 2025
Adequate volume to establish real, defensible pricing benchmarks
15 Different Winning Buyers in 2025
Evidence of open-market processes, not buyer-directed outcomes
49 Prior Clients Supported Who Received Deferred Cash Payments Post-Close in 2025
Ackerman Group took what felt overwhelming and made it clear. They guided us through every step, taught us how the process worked, and helped us achieve an outcome we couldn't have reached on our own.
Dr. Mark Epstein
TotalBond Veterinary Hospitals
Charlotte, NC
Ackerman Group uncovered value in my hospitals that I never realized was there. Their financial insight and strategy helped me achieve results I didn't think were possible.
David Hoe, CEO
Mobility Veterinary Specialists
Davidson, NC
Without Gary and his team, I would have probably taken an offer for about 1/3 less than what I received. More importantly, the things I was able to secure and the things I'm going to be able to do professionally (truly a dream come true) would never have occurred without Gary's…
Ackerman Group stayed with me through the entire process. Their success was tied to mine, and that made all the difference.
Dr. Norm Manning
Wake Forest Animal Hospital
Wake Forest, NC
…Gary's team is superb in all aspects of veterinary practice transition. He will guide and coach the process every step of the way… He got us an excellent price and terms. We are highly satisfied and pleased and will recommend his team to anybody who is considering selling.
Dr. Jagpal Deo
South Bay Veterinary Hospital
La Mesa, CA
Thought Leadership
We don't just advise on practice sales.
We shape the profession's understanding of them.
When veterinary practice owners and industry leaders want to understand the M&A landscape, they turn to Ackerman Group — at the podium, in the press, and behind the only conference built exclusively for practice owners.
Where Journalists Turn For Insights
When you're the only firm in the profession with enough transaction data to publish statistically meaningful insights, the press calls you first.
The Practice Review
Ready to sell? Not ready to sell?
It doesn't matter.
You should know what your practice is worth. You should also know what it could be worth. The Practice Review tells you both.
A senior Ackerman advisor walks through your financials, identifies the specific levers that move your valuation, and prioritizes them to your timeline — whether that's six months or six years. No software. No generics. Advisors who have operated practices, closed transactions, and know exactly what buyers are paying more for right now.
Complimentary
No cost, no obligation, no follow-up pressure
One hour
Everything you need to know, nothing you don't
Your timeline
The analysis works whether you're ready or not
The Advisor Team: Expert Guides for the Journey of Selling
Selling a veterinary practice is a major life transition. We have an advisor for every type of owner — at your side through every step, teaching, advising, and ensuring each decision leads you where you want to go — personally and professionally.
Rich Lester
Chief Executive Officer
Rich Lester has spent the past 15+ years in the veterinary industry, primarily working with veterinarians to ensure their financial success. After a few years as President of BrightHeart Veterinary Centers, Rich became the Founder of Veterinary Practice Partners (VPP) in 2011. VPP was the first group that exclusively focused on co-owning hospitals with local veterinarians, and as CEO, Rich grew it from a startup idea to a large organization with more than 65 hospital partnerships. In 2020, he stepped down as CEO and remained as an advisor. In his current role at Ackerman Group, he enjoys helping veterinarians secure their financial futures.
"I enjoy helping practice owners realize their goals, which includes the combination of the financial rewards, finding the 'right' fit for the staff, and Associates going forward and ensuring continuity for their hospital's role in the community."
Having spent over a decade as a practice buyer, Rich is extremely well-versed in the space and enjoys advising practice owners on the process of selling to corporate groups. Prior to the veterinary industry, Rich worked within the human healthcare sector in senior management. In particular, he spent much of this time at DaVita, a multi-site operator and consolidator of dialysis clinics.
Rich has an MBA from UCLA and an undergraduate degree in Finance and American History from the University of Pennsylvania. He's married to his wife, Rachel, and they have three children. He loves to ski, golf, and spend time with his family.
Roger Redman
Executive VP of Business Development
Dr. Redman was born and raised in Wooster, Ohio, the son of a veterinarian at The Ohio State College Veterinary Medicine. He attended The Ohio State University for both his undergraduate degree and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and served as President of his class throughout veterinary school.
He has owned and managed two very successful veterinary hospitals with outstanding teams of healthcare providers and sold these in 2018. He currently owns a third practice in northeast Ohio.
He has been appointed and served under three Ohio Governors to the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board, was elected to the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association Board of Directors, and was the 2019-2021 President of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, which oversees the regulation and licensing of Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands. In that role, he oversaw RACE continuing education and the VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Exam) which is the testing requirement of technicians in North America.
In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, saltwater fishing, and wake surfing. He is also a licensed pilot. He resides with his wife, Peg, and their dog, Ruger at Lake Buckhorn, Millersburg, and Punta Gorda, FL. Dr. Redman has 5 children and 8 grandchildren.
Ryan Barlow
VP of Business Development
Ryan Barlow joined Ackerman Group in 2022 as a Senior Financial Analyst. He brings over 8 years of experience across veterinary and multi-site healthcare. Prior to Ackerman Group, Ryan worked as a Senior M&A Analyst for Community Veterinary Partners, where he focused on evaluating the financials of veterinary hospitals and conducting internal financial due diligence. Outside of the veterinary industry, Ryan was a Senior M&A Analyst for Taqitz Advisors, where he assisted in financial consulting and the execution of third-party financial due diligence for private equity firms and their portfolio companies. He is excited to help Ackerman Group continue to guide practice owners in finding their best price, terms, and fit as they look to transition their businesses and secure their personal and financial legacies.
Ryan holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Denver, where he also played collegiate soccer. He is originally from Dallas, Texas, and currently resides in Denver Colorado. In his spare time, Ryan loves to eat good food, stay active, and spend time with his two dogs, a mini goldendoodle named Miley and a golden retriever named Abby.
Ryan Lester
VP of Business Development
Ryan has spent over ten years in corporate strategy and business development at some of the largest and fastest growing companies in the world. At Ackerman Group, he's responsible for Business Development. Ryan is focused on making sure that veterinarians view us as a trusted advisor at every step of the process and have a consistent experience with us.
Before joining Ackerman Group, Ryan worked at Venture Capital-funded startups in addition to blue chip companies like AT&T and Salesforce. At these companies, Ryan's responsibilities ranged from negotiating complex, multi-site agreements with Fortune 5,000 companies to designing quotas, territories and sales strategies for hundreds of sales professionals.
Ryan holds a degree in History from Gettysburg College and currently lives in Oakland, California with his wife Kim. Outside of work he loves to run, cook and volunteer in his neighborhood.
Guncha Singh
Director, Financial Strategy & Practice Transitions
Guncha Singh, a seasoned financial professional, joined Ackerman Group in 2024 as a Senior Financial Analyst. Before her role at Ackerman Group, Guncha worked as a Finance Manager at National Veterinary Associates, where she assisted in business development, mergers and acquisitions, and budgeting.
Outside of the veterinary industry, Guncha also served as a Tax Associate at BDO USA LP, where she handled C & S Corporate returns, as well as state returns. Following this, she took on the role of Tax Analyst at Warner Bros. Entertainment, contributing her financial acumen to one of the entertainment industry's giants.
Guncha, who lives in Los Angeles with her family, finds balance in her life through yoga, Bhangra dancing, travel, and online shopping.
Win Lippincott
Partner, Chief Operating Officer
Win has spent nearly a decade thoughtfully advising veterinary practice owners on a wide variety of business issues. At Ackerman Group, he both oversees the growth marketing of the company and works directly with veterinarians during their practice sale processes of their businesses. Previously, he served as Chief Growth Officer for Veterinary Practice Partners (VPP), a corporate practice ownership company, leading its Marketing and Business Development functions. Over his eight-year tenure at VPP, he developed revenue growth strategies that culminated in multiple, successive years of industry-leading revenue growth for VPP's practices, contributing to VPP's inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list from 2016-2020. While overseeing Business Development, he developed the company's new practice assessment methodology and led its efforts to acquire high-quality practices across the country. In addition, Win started and led the company's Technology and Data/Analytics teams, ultimately improving the organization's ability to efficiently understand its practices' performance.
Prior to joining VPP, Win was a Senior Associate at Centerwood Partners, LLC, an alternative investment firm, and Director of Marketing at Foresite Sports, Inc., a specialty B2C insurance brokerage.
Win earned his MBA at Duke University and Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Michael Kemp
VP of Business Development, Canada
Michael is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience in corporate development within hypergrowth environments. He has successfully negotiated and closed over 800 transactions, significantly enhancing the growth and success of major veterinary chains. As a key leader, Michael's strategies contributed to doubling the size of several chains within just a few years. He holds a Master of Applied Sciences degree from the University of Toronto and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Business Valuator (CBV).
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I've been in the banking world for almost 30 years, so I was familiar with the processes [of selling] and was fearful of what I was getting myself into. Ackerman Group made it more seamless than I anticipated.
Dr. Joseph Kinnarney, DVM
Reidsville Veterinary Hospital | Greensboro, NC
We Created the Gold-Standard Process for Selling a Veterinary Practice
We believe results come from preparation, not persuasion. Our proven process guides every stage of the sale — from valuation to closing and beyond — with thoughtful precision and disciplined intent. It's why both owners and corporate buyers recognize Ackerman Group as the benchmark for veterinary practice sales success — and why others in the industry keep trying to replicate the process we perfected.
A Library Built for Veterinary Practice Owners
Browse our latest articles, insights, and reports, written to simplify complex topics and give every veterinarian the knowledge they need to make well-informed ownership decisions.
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