Excellent Care and Outstanding Service
Office Administrators
Tammy Jess, Hospital Administrator
I am the farmer's daughter of this team. Growing up on a dairy farm in western Iowa I was surrounded by animals, and could often be found tagging around under the feet of the veterinarian. How funny that I ended up married to one!
A 1982 graduate of Iowa State University, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design. I enjoyed my design career for several years until Dr. Jess and I purchased the Pekin Veterinary Clinic in 1990. At that time I began my second enjoyable career in management. Many classes and seminars later I have grown into this career as the clinic has grown. I now work as the Hospital Administrator managing our team of professionals, overseeing hiring and training, keeping tabs on the financials, assisting in the purchase of equipment and keeping our team up with the latest in continuing education and training.
Dr. Jess and I have three wonderful children that keep us busy with a multitude of activities. They have moved out of the "little kid" stage and into the "pre-teen" and "teenager" stages. We are having great fun watching them grow up and are not sure we like the idea of moving into the "going off to college" stage, as our nest will soon begin to empty. I don't know how to handle time for myself and am not sure I want to get used to that.
Our practice has been both challenging and fun over the years. One of the things I have enjoyed the most is the opportunity to get to know many of our wonderful clients and their pets. I have also enjoyed the challenge of designing and overseeing the building of Aboard the Ark in 1998, and the designing and renovation of the veterinary hospital in 2007. These projects provide me with the necessary "right brain" creative thinking I need to survive, combining my interior design expertise with my knowledge of veterinary medicine. The result is our beautiful facility designed to make us more efficient and able to practice better medicine for you and your pets.
I am looking forward to many more years serving you at Pekin Veterinary Clinic, even though I am a bit more isolated these days. Please say “hello” when you are here and feel free to ask for a "behind the scenes" tour - I am always happy to show you around!
Shelly Laux, Office Manager
I’ve lived in Pekin all my life. I have two great kids, Trevor and Chelsea. I’m getting married in September 2009 to Michael and will have three more children: Samantha, Sabrina and Alex. As for my animal family, I have two dogs and three cats – Toby, who is the best Lab in the whole world and Willie who’s cute, lovable, and head strong (he is, after all, a basset hound). My cats are Cletus, Dixie, and Wilson. I spend most of my spare time taking my dogs to the dog park or to play in the creek, going to the gym or just hanging out with Michael.
I’m very fortunate to have found a job that transformed my love for animals into a career. I’ve been with Dr. Jess and Tammy for 13 years, watching our clinic grow. I have many duties: technician, inventory, ordering, scheduling and now managing. The best part of my job is seeing old and new clients walk in the door with their new puppy or kitten and knowing that we are going to be a big part of their lives. Of course, the worse part is being with our clients and feeling their pain as they have to say goodbye to the pets they have loved for so long. But we have many, many more happy times than sad times here at the clinic. I hope you and your pets become part of our happy family.
Judy Oltman, Bookkeeper
I have been in the bookkeeping department with Pekin Veterinary Clinic just over a year. I’ve had pets all my life: Tiger the Cat, Frisky the Dog, Buck the Dog, and Mouse the Cat. I’ve always loved animals and it makes me smile to come in to the clinic each morning. I feel very lucky to be able to use my bookkeeping skills in conjunction with Pekin Veterinary Clinic and the Doctors and staff who care so much for all animals. I love having my office by the Kitty Room, so I can give them a little extra love while they are away from their Moms and Dads.Outside of the bookkeeping area I have several hobbies including gardening, cooking, sewing and, most of all, quilting.