‘This is more than just a job. It’s personal.’
Zoetis colleagues care deeply about animals, which gives them a strong sense of purpose at work. Below are examples of Innovators for Animals on the Zoetis team and the central role animals play in their personal lives.
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Kevin Esch: ‘Born into veterinary medicine
Kevin Esch grew up on an Iowa farm. “As a child, I remember delivering piglets and being in the calving barn. We had horses, dogs and cats as well. In high school, I was in the FFA and owned an angus cow/calf herd and a sow farrowing operation. You could say I was born into veterinary medicine.”
Kevin worked as a veterinarian and a veterinary anatomic pathologist for many years. Today, when he’s not leading Zoetis’ Global Therapeutics group, he enjoys time with Walter, a Golden Retriever, and Willow, a Boston Terrier mix. “We’ve always had animals. We’ve had everything from cows and goats to backyard ducks.”
Nadia Koziar: ‘Horses and dogs have always been my best friends
Nadia Koziar always wanted to live on a farm, surrounded by as many animals as possible. In her first job as a sales representative for veterinary products, she began to collect strays. “I’ve always had trouble saying ‘no’ to an animal in need of care. Once I moved to a small farm, my family grew to include three horses, eight dogs, two cats, six chickens and a pygmy goat.”
She says she loves working at Zoetis “since the work that I do directly benefits my pets now and will benefit many more animals in the future. I currently only have three dogs and a horse, but all of them receive Zoetis medications and preventatives.”
Betsy Nieto: ‘The cat whisperer’
When Betsy Nieto worked at a local veterinarian’s clinic during college, she became known as “the cat whisperer” for her ability to always get blood samples from cats, even when other vet technicians failed. “Cats always gravitated to me.”
Pets continue to be a central part of Betsy’s life and purpose. Six of her 16 cats have kidney disease. She lost a dog to juvenile renal disease. “And my grandmother and an aunt died from kidney disease. I’m completely driven to help in this space.”
Alexandre Merlo: ‘Surrounded by animals’
“I was raised on a small farm, surrounded by animals. My grandparents, aunts and uncles all had dogs, cats, chickens, horses. Those early experiences with animals drove me to veterinary medicine and, ultimately, to Zoetis.”
Today, he lives in an apartment in Brazil with his family and Rosinha, a 5-year-old Shih Tzu, who can usually be found sleeping with his son or daughter. “Rosinha is my third child.”
Tracey Williams: In need of more ‘lap space’
Growing up, Tracey Williams did not have any family pets, but all that changed as soon as she was on her own. “I now have nine cats and a dog. I don’t have enough lap space for all my cats, so they love it when I have company over. For me and so many others at Zoetis, this is more than just a job. This is personal.”
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