To maximize profitability and practice value for independently-owned equine veterinary clinics committed to preserving the legacy of their business while remaining competitive in the modern marketplace.
Our Vision
To achieve industry-leading cost savings on veterinary drugs, supplies, equipment and beyond, and create the industry’s best source of solutions to inventory management challenges in an educational network.
Our Mission
To promote goal-oriented relationships and transparency in cooperation with member practices and partnerships with industry vendors who support our vision.
Group Purchasing Organization Serving the Equine Veterinary Industry
Welcome to EPIC, a dedicated collective committed to enhancing profitability and value for independent equine veterinary clinics. We believe in the legacy of your business and strive to ensure its competitiveness in the modern marketplace.
As a cooperative organization, we don’t just work for you; we work with you. We serve as an ally to independent practices, providing benefits that are usually exclusive to larger groups. Our emphasis lies on cultivating goal-oriented relationships, fostering transparency, and orchestrating strategic partnerships with vendors who support our vision.
Our primary focus is to devise industry-leading inventory management strategies that optimize cost savings on veterinary drugs, supplies, equipment, and more. We aim to create a premier educational network that addresses inventory management challenges, sharing knowledge, and innovation across our member practices.
Join us, and benefit from our unique co-op structure that allows more stake in the decision-making process and ensures your pricing and inventory management support are exceptional. Your journey toward increased profitability, inventory control, and continued legacy begins here.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I’m just a solo practitioner, I don’t think I do enough business to matter.
Actually, you are one of the main reasons we exist. There aren’t many options out there for smaller practices, and they’re an essential part of this industry. We feel it’s important for solo practitioners and smaller practices to be able to participate on a level playing field when it comes to managing the cost of doing business. You won’t find tiered pricing programs here, and we’re actively working to get away from promotional periods that require you to stock up excessively in order to save a little money.
Larger practice? Don’t worry, you won’t be sacrificing anything by joining. While you’ve probably been able to negotiate very well on your own, you’ll be joining 100+ other equine-focused practices, and we can do so much more together than any of us can do alone.
What does it cost?
You’ll pay a one-time initiation fee of $200 per full-time veterinarian (capped at $1,000), and a quarterly membership fee of $150. The membership fee allows you to participate in all negotiated agreements, plus gives you access to all the educational inventory management webinars and support.
How much can I expect to save?
We have created a customizable pricing analysis tool designed to help project your savings, based on what you’ve been buying and what you’ve spent on your high volume inventory. We’re happy to offer this free of charge in order to provide you the most complete information with which to make your purchasing decisions – and that’s just on the purchasing side. We’re also here to help you improve your inventory management strategies, and the savings there may even overshadow the savings to be gained from our purchasing agreements.
What’s the catch?
There’s no catch. Typically, the savings you’ll receive pays for your membership very quickly, and if for any reason you’re not happy with your experience in EPIC, you can leave at any time. It’s pretty simple.
What are my obligations as a member?
We are an organization of very few rules. First, all members have 12 months to make our distributor partner their primary distributor. Our distributor partner, Patterson Veterinary Supply, has been a big supporter of EPIC from the very beginning, and the pricing, service, and customer care their team provides makes this an easy box to check.
Second, all members must have a Vetcove account synced with their current suppliers. Whether you actually use it for purchasing or not is up to you (although our experience tells us it’s a no-brainer and a huge time and money saver!). Loading all members on one platform is the most efficient and least bothersome way to identify what our members are using and where the greatest savings can be realized.
Last, we encourage you to participate, whether it’s in internal discussions, attending the annual meeting, or supporting our industry partners. EPIC is committed to working for the independent veterinarian, and your input is a great influence on the direction we go with this organization. Additionally, the partnerships that have been created are rooted in a strong desire to meet the needs expressed by our members, and our partners have worked hard to create game-changing agreements that are a win for all involved. All EPIC contracts are subject to a non-disclosure agreement, so the final requirement is that all members honor the confidentiality of these thoughtfully-crafted agreements.
I’m a member of another buying group. Can I still be in EPIC?
Any practice that is not part of a corporate group is welcome to apply.
Do I order from you, Vetcove, or my local rep?
Nothing at all will change about how you order. EPIC pricing will be applied to your accounts behind the scenes, so you’ll see improved pricing, but you can still place your orders by whatever method you prefer.
Can you help me with my inventory?
We’d love to! Negotiated savings are always the bright and shiny attraction, but where you’ll arguably save the most money is through improved management of the inventory after it arrives in your practice. For the inventory managers and interested owners, we host monthly webinars focusing on various topics related to inventory management strategies, including:
- Understanding purchasing agreements
- Creating customized systems of tracking and counting inventory
- Calculating turnover and setting mins and maxes relevant to your practice
- Keeping controlled drugs in compliance
- Building the AAEP order
- Calculating rebates
- Managing shrink
- …and everything in between.
We also have one in-person meeting each year with a wide range of content (inventory and beyond) for owners, associates, practice and inventory managers. Past featured guests include Whitney Hischier, Betsy Charles, and Mike Pownall. We are currently planning our 2024 event and look forward to welcoming Jay McChord, Tim Miles, and John Chalk.
Are webinars recorded?
Our webinars are not recorded. We understand this comes at a slight cost to convenience, but have found that recordings undermine the value of an engaged, authentic experience. EPIC is full of purchasers with tons of experience, and the engagement and input from everyone on a variety of topics is what makes this such a great and unique resource. Please plan to join us often!
Testimonials
EQUINE PURCHASING AND INVENTORY CO.
The Equine Purchasing and Inventory Company is a co-op structured, equine veterinary industry-focused buying group, with an emphasis on improved inventory control. EPIC’s goal is not to generate profit for a third party, but to maximize the savings of its members through strategic and innovative purchasing agreements coupled with focused inventory management training and support. We appreciate the opportunity to explore how EPIC can help your practice reach its cost of goods and inventory management goals.
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