Natallie St. Onge|Lansing State Journal
On Evergreen Veterinary Clinic'sopening day Jan. 4, Dr. Eric Eyde had one patient: a cat getting a rabies shot.
Now, his days are booked with close to 70 appointments, withnearly 750 clients in his computersystem.
"Business-wise, it's been pretty good. It's been a quick growth," Eyde said.
Katie Eyde, Eyde's wife, said hehas been wanting to open a clinic of his own for a while.It was Eyde's grandfather's properties that allowed Eyde to fall in love with nature and animals.
Eyde is the grandson of the Eyde Co.'s founder Louis J. Eyde.
But, Katie said he didn't find his career path until a bit later."He took a long way around, I like to say," Katie said.
Eyde didn't go to college right after high school,working instead in the family business. Hetried his hand at excavating and construction, building houses.
Then, the 2008 recession hit. Eyde sold the houses and decided to go back to school. He attended Lansing Community College to take basic classes, where he found a passion for science.
After LCC, Eyde stumbled upon West Virginia University and its forensics program. He says he fell in love with the school after a visit.
"In my biology class, one of my friends that I metsaid he was doing wildlife and fisheries as his major," Eyde said. "I lovethe outdoors; fishing, hunting. That's definitely a program I want to get into."
So, he did.
Before finishing his undergraduate at WVU, Eyde took an internship where he spent a summer researching and looking after deer. He also cared for farm livestock and small animals.
"That is something I could see myself doing," Eyde recalled thinking.
Eyde then applied to veterinary school at Michigan State University. Once out of school, he focused on dairy medicine and moved to Wisconsin, but found his way back to Michigan to be closer to family.
That's when he decided to shift his focus to small animals.
"Keep going, and keep following the road," Eyde said of his journey.
Evergreen Veterinary Clinic is located on Mt. Hope Avenue, not far from Evergreen Cemetery and Evergreen Dental Center. But the name Evergreen runs deeper than surrounding neighbors.
"I love trees. My grandpa has plantedwhite pines on all his vacant properties, so there's lot of evergreens," Eyde said.
Also, the couple's daughters are named Eva, Virginia and Camilla. Together, their initials spell EVC.
"The name kind of made itself," Eyde said.
So far, EVC has a staff of seven, including another doctor. Eyde's main goal is to keep clients and staff happy.
"When we're feeling good, we are able to give the customers a good, positive experience when they come in, too," Eyde said.
At the end of the day, Eyde wants people - and pets - to feel like they are family.
Katie Eyde said her husband always wanted to find the right balance.
"He wanted to really find a place to make that dream happen," Katie said.
To reach reporter Natallie St. Onge, email nstonge@lsj.com.
