Our History
New Pittsburg Veterinary Clinic began in the community of New Pittsburg eight miles west of Wooster on State Route 250. In July 1981, Dr. Richard Wiley and his wife Karen, a registered veterinary technician, purchased a home and building previously owned by Dr. Harold Appleman, a veterinarian who passed away in 1976. In this 25×25’ building Dr. Wiley started his practice, with a tiny front office, a combination lab/exam/surgery room, and a storage kennel.
Dr. Jim Dittoe joined the practice in 1982, followed by Dr. Brad Garrison in 1983. Although the practice at the time was primarily dairy, serving about 140 farms with a herd size of 100 cows on average, the doctors saw the occasional equine patient. Farm calls were reserved for sick and emergency issues, with routine work in the morning. The first doctor to finish with his farm calls for the day would see small animal clients in the late afternoon. They scheduled spays for Mondays, with the promise to have them done by the end of the week – as time allowed.
Out of space to grow, the practice moved to its current site on Lincoln Way West in Wooster in 1986. The building was a church when purchased, but had been a manufacturing facility in a previous life – as well as the ‘ten-county egg auction’.
Dr. Dittoe moved from the area in 2000, leaving space for Dr. Dave White to join NPVC in 2003. He became a partner in the practice in 2007, the same year that Dr. Mike Finney of Marshallville merged his dairy practice with the clinic. In 2017, Dr. Craig Zimmerly came on board with New Pittsburg as an associate veterinarian.
In 2018, both Dr. Wiley and Dr. Finney decided to retire from the large animal side of veterinary practice, and now reserve their skills for our small animal patients. Dr. Zimmerly became a partner in 2022 as Dr. Garrison began his transition toward retirement. Dr. Laura Conley joined the small animal practice in 2023, building on the foundation Dr. Wiley has been building since his start.
Moved from original building to current location on Lincoln Way West
Today
Under the ownership of Dr. Dave White and Dr. Craig Zimmerly, New Pittsburg is experiencing significant growth. The practice has expanded significantly in the areas of beef, swine and small ruminants while maintaining the core and heart of our large animal practice – dairy production medicine. Today, NPVC is one of the largest dairy cattle practices in Ohio, serving 90 dairy farms milking 25,000 cows and raising over 50,000 cattle – the majority of which are within 50 miles of Wooster. All large animal work is now done on-farm. The veterinary office staff includes four veterinarians, a registered veterinary technician, a bookkeeper, and a receptionist, all making a commitment to develop a quality veterinary clinic.
As livestock farms continue to consolidate into fewer but larger units, veterinary medical services become more focused on preventive medicine and production medicine. At NPVC, sick animal and emergency issues account for less than ten percent of farm calls. Typical days revolve around routine reproductive herd checks, typically prescheduled on weekly, biweekly or monthly basis.
The small animal clinic has made investments in the growth of their practice, from a facility facelift to modern technology and equipment – and most importantly, quality people. At New Pittsburg we believe that our dedicated and talented staff members are the key to our success. Our goals for the future remain the same: to stay a locally owned and operated practice committed to excellent service, adopting the newest advances in veterinary medicine, and being a positive contributing member of our community giving back through acts of service and support.
Meet Our Staff
New Pittsburg Veterinary Clinic is proud to employ many members of our local Wayne and surrounding county communities. All of our staff are integral to the day-to-day operations of our practice!
Dr. Brad Garrison
DVM - LARGE ANIMAL
Dr. Garrison is a 1983 graduate of The Ohio State University. In 2015, Brad was the president of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association. Brad was also awarded the 2022 Ohio Veterinarian of the Year. Dr. Garrison’s professional interests include reproductive management and records analysis.
Brad lives in Pleasant Home with his wife Jane. His family includes two grown children, Shannon and Spencer. In his free time, Dr. Garrison enjoys attending church and family functions along with cheering on Cleveland sports teams.
Dr. David White
DVM - LARGE ANIMAL
Dave lives in the New Pittsburg area with his wife Hannah and their four children. In his free time, Dr. White enjoys raising pigs and sheep on his farm, attending pig shows, and spending time with his family.
Dr. Craig Zimmerly
MS, DVM - LARGE ANIMAL
Craig lives in Holmesville with his wife Gwen and their three daughters, Sadie, Rosalie, and Geneva. In his free time, Dr. Zimmerly enjoys working outdoors and spending time with his family.
Dr. Richard Wiley
DVM - SMALL ANIMAL
Richard Wiley is a 1980 graduate of The Ohio State University. He started New Pittsburg Vet Clinic in Wooster, Ohio, in 1981. In 2018, Dick sold his business interest in NPVC to his partner and now works as an associate veterinarian for them. His professional time is now split 80/20 between small animal medicine and poultry.
Dick and Karen, his wife of 39 years, have a daughter, Taylor. Dick’s personal time is spent training for and racing bicycles where he is a 5 time state champion.
Dr. Wiley has served as an adjunct professor to the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and has served as an adviser to Monsanto/Posilac BST from 1994-2002. He has mentored many, many veterinary students from around the country. In 2015 he was awarded the OVMA distinguished service award. Along with his many accreditations, he held the elected positions as a school board member at Northwestern Local Schools, one term trustee to the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) and two terms as a Board member to the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) representing Ohio and surrounding states.
Dr. Laura Conley
DVM - SMALL ANIMAL
Laura grew up in Sylvania, OH and attended The University of Findlay, majoring in Pre-Veterinary Medicine with a minor in Chemistry. She attended The Ohio State University for veterinary school and earned her doctorate in 2015. She worked in a mixed animal clinic for over 4 years before changing direction and taking a position as a small animal relief veterinarian (traveling doctor, visiting a different clinic every day) for 3 years.
She decided to jump back into a permanent associate veterinarian position with New Pittsburg, a place where she is no stranger. She shadowed as an undergraduate and graduate student, as well as spent time with the other New Pittsburg veterinarians in professional groups after vet school graduation.
She lives in the woods in Loudonville with her husband and young son, as well as two Standard Poodles, and enjoys hunting many different species, reading and going on adventures.
Lisa Gress
RVT - SMALL ANIMAL
Lisa started working at New Pittsburg Vet Clinic in January 2020.
Lisa has been a Registered Veterinary Technician for over 30 years, graduating from Columbus Technical Institute in 1983 (now Columbus State). She loves assisting with dental procedures, surgery, patients and helping pet parents understand how they can better take care of their pet’s health.
In her spare time she enjoys wood finishing projects, helping her husband and son in the shop restoring tractors and taking care of the young calves on the farm. She and her husband, Joe, have 4 children, 2 adult cats, and one big dog. She lives on a dairy farm in Shreve. Lisa enjoys being a 4-H adviser for Clinton Lads ‘n Lassies, and helping the 4-Hers with their projects.
Alexis Ramsdell
RVT - SMALL ANIMAL
Lexi loves painting, hiking, camping and enjoying time with her family in her free time. She has a golden retriever and three cats.
She has been working at New Pittsburg Vet Clinic since July of 2023.
Sonia Clinton
RVT, VTS - LARGE ANIMAL
In her spare time, she enjoys Crossfit, target shooting, gardening, traveling, and crafting.
Brad Messmore
Bookkeeper
Brad is a 1997 graduate of DeVry University and has his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. He has been employed at New Pittsburg Veterinary Clinic since July 1999. Brad lives in Lodi with his wife Denise and their two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys bowling, golfing and spending quality time with his family.