Case Studies

Lake Orion Veterinary Builds A New Facility From The Ground-Up, Oakland County

The Situation

Dr. Molly Husman built a strong veterinary practice in Lake Orion – the kind of practice that becomes a fixture of its community. Families trusted her, the clinical work was excellent, and the patient base was growing.

The building was another story. It was a small structure situated on a lot owned by an adjacent car dealership. It was tight, but it was functional. Until one day, ownership informed her of something she couldn’t negotiate around – they were selling to a larger dealership, and the new owner’s plan was to demolish her building.

She still had years left on her lease, but the clock had started. What had been a vague, someday conversation about the future of her practice, suddenly became the most urgent project on her desk.

• The scope of what Dr. Husman needed quickly became clear. Her practice had outgrown the small building long before the demolition news arrived. She didn’t just need a new space. She needed double her footprint with all the requirements of a modern veterinary facility with:
  • Surgical suites,
  • Imaging,
  • Recovery areas,
  • Kennel space, and
  • Space for client flow.

• It was clear, a ground-up construction project was the only path forward, and with that decision, the timeline and the complexity to make it happen were established.

• A ground-up construction build isn’t a lease negotiation. It’s a multi-phase project with its own calendar to:
  • Find and secure the right land,
  • Obtain municipal approvals for zoning, site plans, and permits,
  • Design and build a facility from the ground up,
  • Keep the entire scope within a budget that supports the practice, and
  • Accomplish it all before she loses her current space.

• We assembled our team of professionals early – the lender, general contractor, architect, attorney – everyone on notice that this project had a hard deadline we couldn’t control. And then we got to work finding the land.

The Solution

• After an extensive search across the Lake Orion market, we identified a site that fit – the right size, the right zoning, and the right position in the community.

• We moved to get the land under contract, but securing the land was only the beginning. What followed was months of a coordinated effort to test every relationship and every timeline simultaneously:
  • All the municipality’s approvals for a ground-up veterinary clinic require permits, plans, and confirmations with various schedules and parties.

  • The communication and a lease extension negotiation with the landlord at the existing building had to be maintained, and they were increasingly frustrated that Dr. Husman’s building was holding up their buyer’s construction project for the new dealership.

  • The relationship with her new land’s seller needed attention too in order to manage the purchase agreement’s due diligence timeline and the necessary extensions to keep the deal alive through all the delays.

  • And the budget for the new construction, which is very expensive, especially when every delay, scope change, and surprise could potentially push costs beyond what her financing could support.

• All these threads were running in parallel. None of them were fully within anyone’s control, and every one of them had the power to unravel the entire project.

This story truly demonstrates the importance of teamwork. Today in 2026, Dr. Husman’s new veterinary facility is almost finished with construction, and when it’s complete, she’ll have:

• A brand-new building, more than double her previous size,
• A purpose-built modern space for veterinary medicine, every element designed from scratch,
• A long-term runway for growth in the community who depends on her, and
• A permanent home on land she controls.

Congratulations, Dr. Husman!

This project demanded more from her than she expected, but she showed up – for every meeting, every decision, and every unexpected problem that required attention.

We are very proud to be a part of this team who delivered something extraordinary. It wasn’t just one negotiation. It was a dozen, running simultaneously, each one load-bearing.

We’re excited for the finished product and are certain the animals and families of Lake Orion are better off for it.