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Lori Nickel, District Manager
Lori Nickel was the kind of child who was always saving injured birds and bringing home stray dogs and cats.
So it wasn't surprising that Lori chose a career in animal care. What has been surprising -- even to Lori herself -- is the speed with which her career has advanced. Today, less than a decade after earning her associates degree, she has risen through the ranks at Best Friends Pet Care to become a District Manager, overseeing operations at 12 facilities spread across the U.S. She is based at the company's offices in Oklahoma City.
A Love Affair with Animals
"I guess I always knew that I would work with animals," says Lori. "We always had several dogs and cats at home, and I was always rescuing strays. Even as a child, I really enjoyed caring for animals and making sure they had a safe place."
Although her family lived in the city, in Enid, Oklahoma, her father was a wagonmaster with a team of mules and leased a pasture with stables nearby. Lori often joined her dad on trail rides, serving as an outrider on horseback to help ensure things went smoothly.
After graduating from high school, Lori went directly into a training at Murray State College to become a veterinary technician, then to her first job at a private veterinary clinic in her hometown of Enid.
Soon after, Lori was offered an opportunity to interview with the Best Friends. Excited by both the prospects for advancement and the compensation and benefits that a national company could offer her, Lori accepted a position as a customer service representative at the Oklahoma City Pet Resort in spring of 1994.
A Career Move
Ambitious and hard-working, she was quickly identified as someone with management potential and was soon promoted to an assistant manager slot at the Oklahoma City Resort.
Just a year later, her chance to run her own center came; she was offered the position of Manager at the company's facility in Wheat Ridge, CO. "It was the first time I'd ever lived out of state," says Lori, but she packed up her family and made the move. "It was the best career decision I could have made."
In 1997, she was promoted again, this time to area manager with responsibility for four Best Friends locations in the western U.S. Operational responsibility for additional resorts was added over the next few months, and she was promoted to District Manager in December 1997.
Although traveling back and forth across the country can be demanding, Lori enjoys her time on the road. "I love training people, not only in the business aspects of their jobs, but also in the handling and care of animals. And, one of the great things about this job is the fact that I do get to be with animals just about every day."
Getting Started
"The pet care industry has changed so much in the past decade. People entering pet care today have so many more career paths open to them," notes Lori. "As in the past, you can work in veterinary care or at a shelter, but there are also a whole range of other options — boarding, grooming, training, retail. "If you're thinking about working with animals, it's really important to know what your options are and to figure out where you'll be happiest.
"I also think it's important to find the people who know the most and learn as much as you can from them," she adds, "Personally, I think Best Friends has some of the very best people in the industry."
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