08/28/2026
Opening Mankato Veterinary Clinic has been a dream brought to life by an extraordinary group of people. There is no way I could have made it here alone, and I want to take a moment to thank some of the incredible people who helped make it possible.
First, to all of my amazing clients who entrusted me with the care of their precious family members: thank you. Your trust, support, and the opportunity to care for your beloved pets have helped shape me into the veterinarian I am today. Every patient and every family has been part of my journey, and I am deeply grateful for each of you.
My husband, Kevin Born, spent countless hours helping with absolutely everything—from setting up banking, creating LLCs and other important legal documents, and managing behind-the-scenes details to building, wiring, problem-solving, and doing whatever needed to be done. You are always the optimist, and you believe in the good in everyone. Your belief in me and your unwavering support made this possible. Thank you for being beside me through every step of this journey.
My realtor, Chad Ziemke, Century 21 Atwood, has been so much more than a realtor. He helped me find not only the right building, but also many of the key people needed to get this business off the ground. I am incredibly grateful for everything he has done and feel so lucky to call him my friend.
Our contractor, Andy Weimert of Weimert Construction, absolutely knocked it out of the park. He did an amazing job transforming the space on a very tight timeline, and the results are beyond what I could have imagined. Andy, I am so glad I got to know you over these last several months, and I will be calling on your expertise for years to come.
Thank you to MinnStar Bank for believing in this vision and helping make it a reality, and to Hy-Vee for fueling us with plenty of early-morning and late-night meals along the way!
To my children: thank you for making the long trips to pick up equipment, helping load and unload it, and stepping in whenever Mom needed an extra set of hands. Most of all, thank you for your patience, encouragement, and willingness to be part of this adventure.
Thank you to Duane Tarjeson, who wired what felt like miles of electrical and communication lines and found creative solutions to more unusual problems than we ever expected to encounter.
I am also grateful to Exclusively Diamonds, who originally created such a beautiful building. It is an honor to carry this special place into its next chapter. We even named the dog statue at our front entrance “ED” in honor of the existing E.D. awnings out front—a small way to remember and celebrate the building’s history.
A heartfelt thank-you also goes to:
SRP Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration; MAC Plumbing LLC; Ryan Klassen Plumbing; Denny, for the ceilings; Ryan, for the beautiful floors; Superior Granite, for our gorgeous front counter; Jason Lieske Insurance Agency, and the wonderful Addie Lehrke at Design District for helping bring the space together so beautifully.
To my amazing family, Cheryl Fischer, Curt, Rhonda, Mom, Dad, Kathy Born Dahlgren, all of the Nelsons and Borns. My awesome friends “The Nash Pack,” and the many others who encouraged me through the roughest chapters and celebrated alongside me during the joyful wins: your friendship, support, and confidence in me meant more than you will ever know.
This clinic is the result of countless hours, helping hands, creative solutions, generous hearts, and people who believed in a dream. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who helped make Mankato Veterinary Clinic possible. I will never forget what each of you contributed to this journey, and I am so excited to begin this next chapter! We open on Tuesday, September 1st!❤️🐾
