Small Door Veterinary Appoints First-Ever Chief Operating Officer

NEW YORK CITY — Small Door Veterinary, a New York City-based veterinary care provider, announced the appointment of its first-ever Chief Operating Officer on March 5.

The veteran care provider has chosen Kristen Lombardi to be its first COO. Lombardi will officially assume her role on March 31, 2025, and will begin meeting with teams across Small Door’s practices in the coming weeks.

Lombardi brings expertise in veterinary operations and joins the company after playing a foundational role in the success of Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG), where she helped grow the company from a single clinic with 13 employees to 100 clinics and 5,500 team members nationwide, officials said.

The announcement comes after a record year of growth, with all Small Door locations in New York City, Boston and the Washington DC area now fully profitable, officials told Patch.

"Since stepping into the CEO role last year, our focus has been on strengthening our foundation—achieving profitability, scaling operational excellence, and setting new industry benchmarks,” Florent Peyre, Co-Founder & CEO of Small Door Veterinary, told Patch. “As we prepare to accelerate unit growth, we need a leader with deep veterinary expertise and a proven ability to scale at the highest level, while still preserving the heart of what makes Small Door special: an unwavering commitment to vets, pets, and pet parents. Kristen’s track record—helping build VEG from the ground up and advising hundreds of practices—makes her the perfect fit to lead this next phase, ensuring we scale thoughtfully, without compromising the exceptional care and culture we’ve built."

With Lombardi’s leadership, the company is poised for strategic expansion, bringing its innovative, high-quality approach to more communities nationwide.

"I’ve spent my career building and scaling veterinary organizations, and I couldn’t be more excited to join Small Door at such a transformational time," Kristen Lombardi told Patch. "Small Door’s membership model is redefining veterinary care, and the company has done the hard work of proving its model, achieving profitability, and setting new industry standards. I look forward to working with the team to bring this vision to more pet parents, veterinarians, and hospitals nationwide."