Today we’d like to introduce you to Joni Shimp, DVM.
Hi Joni, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to be in medicine. That calling started when I was a kid — I was always the one drawn to caring for others. When I discovered veterinary medicine, it felt like the perfect fit. I got to combine my love of animals with the part of medicine I find most rewarding: connecting with people. Pet owners trust us with their family members during some of the scariest moments of their lives, and being part of that — for both the pet and the person — is what drives me every single day.
I spent years building my career in North Carolina, gaining experience across different facets of veterinary practice. When I eventually made the move to Florida, I started working as an emergency veterinarian for All 4 Pets Emergency Hospital in Ocoee. That’s where I connected with the team that would become Greenlight Pet ER. At that point, Greenlight was still a dream — a concept and a vision for what emergency veterinary care could look like when done thoughtfully. I believed in that vision, and when the opportunity came to step into the role of Medical Director, I didn’t hesitate.
Watching Greenlight grow from an idea into a reality has been one of the most fulfilling chapters of my career. Our first location in The Woodlands was just the beginning. Today, we’re a multi-location emergency network, and I’m proud of the standard of medicine and the culture of care we’ve built at every single one of our hospitals. This journey has reinforced what I’ve always believed — that great emergency medicine isn’t just about clinical skill. It’s about heart, leadership, and showing up for your team, your patients, and the families who need you most.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No road is ever totally smooth, and I’d be lying if I said ours was the exception. But honestly, I don’t look at the bumps as negatives — I look at them as the things that made us better. I’m lucky to work with people who share that mindset. When we hit a challenge, we don’t point fingers. We learn, we adapt, and we come out stronger on the other side. That culture didn’t happen by accident — it’s something we’ve built intentionally, and I’m proud of it.
The real struggle, if I’m being honest, is in building something from nothing in a world you were never formally trained for. I know medicine. I trained for years to be able to walk into an emergency room, assess a critical patient, and make life-saving decisions under pressure. That part I was ready for. What nobody prepares you for is everything else that comes with building and running a multi-location veterinary network.
I’ve had to teach myself finances — how to read a P&L, how to budget for growth, how to make smart decisions that keep the lights on and the doors open. I’ve had to learn human resources — how to hire the right people, how to navigate difficult conversations, how to build teams that trust each other and show up for one another. I’ve had to dive deep into employment law, facility management, DEA compliance across multiple locations, and the legal complexities of structuring an organization that spans several hospitals. None of that is in a single veterinary school textbook.
But I want to be clear — I’m not doing this alone. Matheus, Vinicius, and Fabrizio are the heart of the business side of Greenlight. They are the ones driving the vision forward from an operational and financial standpoint, and their dedication to building something meaningful is what makes all of this possible. What I bring to the table is my background in veterinary medicine and my experience as a practice owner. I use that history to help guide them in everything that touches the medicine itself — from clinical standards and credentialing to how we structure our hospitals so that patients get the best possible care. It’s a true partnership. They trust me to lead the medical side, and I trust them to lead the business, and where those two worlds overlap, we figure it out together.
There were days, especially early on, where it felt like we were building the plane while flying it. But that’s the reality of entrepreneurial medicine — you either rise to the challenge or you don’t. And I think that’s actually one of the things that makes our team at Greenlight special. We weren’t handed a playbook. We wrote it ourselves, one lesson at a time. Every policy, every protocol, every operational system we have in place exists because someone identified a gap and figured out how to fill it.
What I’ve learned through all of it is that being a good doctor is only part of the equation. To truly lead in this field, you have to be willing to become a student again — over and over — in areas that are completely outside your comfort zone. And you have to surround yourself with people who are willing to do the same.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Greenlight Pet ER, we are a multi-location veterinary emergency network, and what we do at our core is provide emergency and critical care for pets when families need it most. But what sets us apart isn’t just the medicine — it’s how we deliver it.
The biggest difference between us and most other emergency hospitals is our commitment to client transparency and communication. When a pet owner walks through our doors, they are scared. They are worried. They don’t know what’s happening, and they feel completely out of control. We never lose sight of that. While other ERs may be focused solely on the clinical side — and rightfully so, the medicine matters — we believe the human side matters just as much. We are active participants in our clients’ emotions, not bystanders to them.
That philosophy shows up in everything we do, starting with how we structure the client-veterinarian relationship. At Greenlight, the pet owner spends meaningful time with the veterinarian — not just the nursing staff. Our veterinarians personally go over their findings, their recommendations, and their treatment plans directly with the owner. This isn’t a quick summary passed along secondhand. It’s a real conversation where the client has the opportunity to ask questions, provide input, and understand exactly what is happening with their pet and why. That level of direct communication builds trust, and in emergency medicine, trust is everything.
One of the things I’m most proud of from a brand standpoint is our ICU visibility concept. Every one of our locations is designed with a way for pet owners to see into our ICU floor. Some of our hospitals feature full architectural glass walls that give owners a clear view of the treatment area where their pet is being cared for. This isn’t just a design choice — it’s a statement about who we are. We have nothing to hide. We want owners to see their pet, to see our team working, and to feel connected to the process even when they can’t be hands-on. At the same time, the design maintains full biosecurity and allows our medical team to stay focused on the patient without interruption. It’s the best of both worlds — transparency for the owner and functionality for the team.
At the end of the day, what I want people to know about Greenlight Pet ER is that we were built with intention. Every detail — from how our veterinarians communicate to how our hospitals are physically designed — reflects a belief that emergency veterinary care should be excellent, honest, and human. We treat the pet, and we take care of the people who love them.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Communication. Full stop. You can be the most skilled veterinarian in the room, but if you can’t communicate — with your team, with your clients, with the people who trust you to lead — none of it matters. Clear, honest communication is what builds trust, and trust is the foundation of everything we’ve built at Greenlight. It’s how we earn client loyalty, how we retain great staff, and how we make the best decisions for our patients. Medicine saves lives, but communication is what holds it all together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.greenlight.pet
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenlight.pet/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenlight.pet
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doctor-joni-shimp-/
