President & CEO of the Wake County SPCA

Disclosure: This material is provided as a courtesy and for educational purposes only from Olde Raleigh Financial Group, A member of Advisory Services Network and should not be construed as investment advice. All information contained in this video is derived from sources deemed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed.  All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results.  All views/opinions expressed in this video are solely those of the presenter and do not reflect the views/opinions held by Advisory Services Network, LLC. Advisory Services Network, LLC does not provide tax advice. The tax information contained herein is general and is not exhaustive by nature. Federal and state laws are complex and constantly changing. Please consult your investment professional, legal or tax advisor for specific information pertaining to your situation.

Alex Mihajlov is a board member of the SPCA of Wake County. Olde Raleigh Financial Group and Advisory Services Network, LLC, are not affiliated with SPCA of Wake County.

In this episode of The Soundtrack of a Financial Advisor’s Life, Trevor Chambers and Alex Mihajlov of Olde Raleigh Financial Group sit down with Kim Janzen, President and CEO of the SPCA of Wake County. They discuss the SPCA’s groundbreaking new $27 million regional campus for pets and people, the organization’s lifesaving work across 58 North Carolina counties, and innovative programs that keep pets with the families who love them. From large-scale rescues to partnerships like Meals on Wheels for pets, this conversation highlights the transformative impact of community-driven animal welfare.

CHAMBERS:  Hey, everybody. It's Trevor Chambers from Old Raleigh Financial Group. Once again, putting another podcast out from The Soundtrack of a Financial Advisor's Life. 

As always, I have Alex Mihjlov, founder of Olde Raleigh Financial Group, here in sunny Raleigh, North Carolina. And today, we're very excited. We've got Kim Janzen. Hi Kim Janzen. How are you? 

JANZEN:   Hello.

CHAMBERS: Good to have you. You are the president and CEO of the SPCA of Wake County, and we are excited to talk. We are big fans of pets and in pets’ adoption. And – and so we just wanted to see what's going on with you guys. And big -- big things are happening. 

JANZEN:   Big things are happening. 

CHAMBERS: Yeah. Tell us about, like, what's going on. We were talking about it earlier before we started. This spring -- we've got -- we've got a big event happening and then let's talk about how this has all come about and the history of that. 

JANZEN:   Absolutely. So, this March, we will be opening North Carolina's first ever regional campus for pets and people.

CHAMBERS: Nice.

JANZEN:   It is a $27,000,000 project, a building designed by Animal Arts, an architectural firm that does nothing but veterinary clinics and animal shelters. And we are building this to both deepen the services that we are able to provide in Wake County and expand the services that we're able to provide in the 58 counties we work with in North Carolina. 

MIHAJLOV: Kim, tell us what you're not. You're not part of -- you're not a government agency.

JANZEN:   Not a government agency.

MIHAJLOV: You're not getting -- you don't get money from the government. What else don't you get money from? 

JANZEN:   We don't get money from the ASPCA. 

MIHAJLOV: So you're not part of the ASPCA? 

JANZEN:   We're not -- we're not part of the ASPCA at all. And for those of you who are unfamiliar, that's the association -- it's the American Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Pets. And, no, we're have no affiliation. 

MIHAJLOV:  So tell us a little bit about the background of this project. How did it come on? What -- what made you decide to do this? All that. 

JANZEN:   This really came out of a strategic plan that the board approved in 2017. And we had taken a step back to look at what our community really needs and, honestly, what North Carolina needs in terms of animal welfare. And we saw an opportunity for the SPCA to really step up and fill an expanding role in saving pets from unnecessary euthanasia in North Carolina. So out of that came two really important things. One is we are expanding our services across North Carolina.  Again, we work with 58 counties transporting animals from those shelters where they're at risk for -- most at risk for euthanasia -- transporting them into our care, providing the medical care that's necessary, behavioral support that's necessary, and then adopting them out. We also expanded our services, our people facing service. We also expanded our people –

MIHAJLOV:  Because there's two ends of the leash. Right? 

JANZEN:   Well, we also we also expanded our people facing services because we know that the best possible scenario for any pet is to remain in the home where they belong with their family. So by focusing on the other end of the leash, as I like to call it, we're able to provide people, primarily those with economic need, the resources that they need to keep their beloved pets in the home. That's a win for the community, it's a win for the animal. It's a win for the pet and family, and it's a win for the community. 

MIHAJLOV: Speaking of wins, tell us -- you always have some great moments of -- of rescue. Tell -- tell us your -- your favorite moment or your most recent moment of rescue that you -- you always like to share. 

JANZEN:   Oh my goodness. So many. So on a larger scale, I'll tell the story about how we got a call one day from our friends at the Johnston County Animal Shelter. And they had, in their lobby, they had an elderly gentleman who was -- had came to them and said that he needed to relinquish all 17 of his dogs because he was unable to care for them and he needed to bring them in the next day. And their shelter was completely full. So they called us and our team scrambled around, found the space that was necessary, and we took in 17 dogs that were already at Johnston County so that they could take in his 17 dogs. It's an -- it's an awesome story of partnership and collaboration. 

MIHAJLOV: So the SPCA not only helps Raleigh, North Carolina, but you cover 58, you said, counties in the state of North Carolina. So you're kind of a North Carolina wide type organization almost. 

JANZEN:   Well, we certainly aspire to that.

MIHAJLOV: Right.

JANZEN:   Yes.

MIHAJLOV: Right. 

JANZEN:   We have public - private partnerships with 58 counties, and our vision is to deepen the services that we're providing to those counties to provide prevention services as well as the transport program that we already have in place. 

MIHAJLOV: Why do so many animals end up in shelters? What's the leading cause of an animal ending up in a shelter? 

JANZEN:   It's such a great question. And honestly, it -- it changes from decade to decade. Right now, through our pet helpline where we gather the data for what is happening in our community right this red hot second, we know that affordable veterinarian care is becoming scarcer and scarcer for people. And so many times people surrender their animals because they can no longer afford the veterinary care necessary. That's how I got my own dog from the SPCA. And also there are so many life changes that can cause a very necessary pet surrender. A person might be deployed, they might have a lifestyle change, like they have a baby, and a pet just is a little bit unmanageable, they might have a pet who has, you know, maybe chewed a couch for the fourth time, and the most frequent reason that pets end up in shelters is behavior. So one of the things that we're going to be able to do in our new facility is provide pet behavior programs that again help keep pets in homes. 

CHAMBERS: I wanted to ask you this new expansion, you're gonna be able to do a lot more spays and neutering, like a lot more.

JANZEN:   A lot more.

CHAMBERS: Which is a huge driver of keeping the population. It’s all this. Yeah. 

JANZEN:   It is. Thank you for asking that. Right now, we do about 5,000 spay and neuter surgeries a year. And because we designed the facility with two operational surgery suites, we'll be able to expand that number to about 10,000 a year. 

CHAMBERS: That's great. 

JANZEN:   That's double. Yeah. The impact of that is just tremendous.  We also have a mobile vehicle that we hope to use to take services to those rural counties. 

MIHAJLOV: And so you're providing low cost spay and neuter services to not only Wake County but a lot of other counties? 

JANZEN:   Not yet. That's our vision. 

MIHAJLOV: That's your vision? 

JANZEN:   Yes.

MIHAJLOV: Okay. Cool.

JANZEN:   I mean there people who come from surrounding counties for services because finding affordable spay and neuter is difficult. 

MIHAJLOV: Talk a little bit about -- you were talking about the Meals on Wheels program for people. Tell -- tell us about the Meals on Wheels program for pets. 

JANZEN:   So one of the things that we believe very strongly in is the power of collaborative partnerships. We can do so much more by working together than we can alone in our own little silos. In 2020, we created a partnership with Meals on Wheels of Wake County, and they have become our primary way to distribute pet food. What they were seeing from their end were families who were actually splitting their Meals on Wheels food with their pet and really not getting enough nutrition. So by providing pet food and supplies through Meals on Wheels that provides -- it increases the likelihood that pets are going to be able to stay in homes. And I can't underestimate the power of pet companionship.

CHAMBERS: Yeah.

JANZEN:   Especially for elderly folks who might be living alone. 

MIHAJLOV: You -- you were telling the story. It came about because people were splitting their meals with their animals instead of eating all their own meals 

JANZEN:   Yes. 

MIHAJLOV: Their medication and all that stuff. 

CHAMBERS: Yeah. It's crazy. So the driver’s basically for abandonment or inflation. The –

JANZEN: Uh-huh.

MIHAJLOV: Medical care.

CHAMBERS: Lack of vets in the deserts for vet care –

JANZEN:   Veterinary deserts.

CHAMBERS: -- space. That's -- and then an aging and then an aging. And just generally the aging population not being able to handle it. Yeah. So -- so there's a lack of vets in -- in --

JANZEN:   There is. We don't see that much here in in Raleigh. We see it in surrounding counties especially. 

MIHAJLOV: And you -- the other thing that always amazed me was the number of pure breed animals that end up to show -- the -- the breeders sell them. People then leave them at shelters. You wanna talk about that and just talk about the animal population? I think there's some misconceptions about the animal population at shelters. 

JANZEN:   Sure. We don't track breeds specifically, but what I can tell you is the field of animal welfare has changed significantly in the last twenty years. And the way our community perceives animal shelters has really transformed. So it used to be that we were seen as the pound or that animal shelters had, you know, pets who were, they were all abused, or they were, you know, those kinds of situations. And it's just not true. 

We have really great pets for adoption. Some of them look like pure breeds, we don't actually know that, but that is a misnomer. And also, the statistics have changed. When I first got into animal welfare twenty-two years ago, we took in about 60% dogs and about 40% cats. And now that is exactly opposite. We take in 60% cats and about 40% dogs. Wow. And here's the really awesome thing is the cats that come into our care -- cats and kittens, absolutely fly out the door. The demand for felines are -- of every age, every size is just tremendous. 

CHAMBERS: Is it just easier to take care of, lower -- lower financial –

JANZEN:   I think that’s part of it. And I think that's part of it. I mean, people are -- are working so much. They're a lot busier than they used to be ten years ago. Yeah. The vet care is slightly less expensive. And, also, I think I think dogs are more likely to be spayed or neutered. 

CHAMBERS: Yeah. You know, if you folks have not gone out there and checked it out, check it out. It's amazing. Couple things. One -- one of the things that blew me away about you, Kim, when I first met you, Alex, and I went up and toured that. It must have been about sixteen, seventeen. When you yeah --  and they merchandise these animals. Now I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean that in a good way. And it's just you guys just do it at a such a high level of the place. The place is nice. It's clean. The staff is great. I mean, it's just amazing. You guys –

JANZEN:   Well, thank you for saying that. We really wanna be a destination for our community, and we do that by not I mean, the most important thing is that we designed that facility to make every animal stay as healthy as possible and as short as possible. And what that means is an extreme focus on animal comfort and reducing stress. And so that's how our facility is designed to begin with, but it's also designed for people to make every visit a positive experience. And that makes a tremendous difference. The animals market themselves. 

MIHAJLOV: The so this campus is gonna be very, very exciting. What -- what brought you to Raleigh? 

JANZEN:   What brought me to Raleigh?

MIHAJLOV: Yeah.

CHAMBERS: Kansas girl. Right? 

JANZEN:   Kansas girl, yeah. Go Shocks. 

CHAMBERS: Yep. Woo Shocks. Very specific to Wichita State University.

JANZEN:   Wichita State University. Yes.

CHAMBERS: We did a little research. 

JANZEN:   Yes. I was the president and CEO for the Kansas Humane Society for ten years. We did a big expansion project there. After we got all settled in a couple years, I was a little bit bored. I was ready for a new challenge.  So I came to Raleigh, North Carolina. 

MIHAJLOV: But tell--  tell the story about how you found out about Raleigh, about -- about the job in Raleigh. 

JANZEN: So after I had worked for the Kansas Humane Society for a while, I knew that if I wanted to stay in animal welfare, I was going to have to think about moving. And because I'm a farm girl, moving away was on the list of things I can't possibly ever do. But I started thinking about it and the more I -- and the really significant part here is that my professional mentor retired and he and his wife moved to Hendersonville and we were very close. So I started thinking, well, maybe North Carolina would be a great place to live. And I was at an industry conference and said to a bunch of my colleagues over lunch, you know, someday I'd really like to live in North Carolina. Less than two hours later, one of those people came up and said, did you see that the SPCA of Wake County in Raleigh just posted their executive director position? And I was floored. I thought, oh my gosh, universe, that was fast. Yeah. And I applied for the position.  It -- I mean, it was just absolutely meant to be. Yep. So that was in July. And by the end of November 2013, I was here. Wouldn't go back for anything. Met my husband once I was here for a couple years. Nice. Yeah. 

CHAMBERS: Got a husband out of it. That's good. 

JANZEN:  Yes. Not bad. 

CHAMBERS: Not bad.

MIHAJLOV: You -- Wake County's lucky to have you, and S lot of animals have been saved because of your efforts, and you got a great team. And, of course, I'll -- I'll do the full disclosure. I'm on the board. That's -- you're certainly amongst my favorite charities, so I appreciate -- appreciate the work you guys do. I love the hometown aspect of the charity. 

So if you're proud of Wake County, this is a great place to give your time and treasure to. And you guys are looking for volunteers all the time. 

JANZEN:   We -- we are all the all the time. And what I'll say here is if you are interested in volunteering, supporting us in any way, making a -- a gift to either the campaign or to our operating fund, you can find all of that information at our website at spcawake.org. 

MIHAJLOV:  Along with a lot of great pictures of dogs and cats that are adoptable. 

JANZEN:   Yes.

CHAMBERS: And people specifically could be one of the 700, I think you said earlier, adoption -- kinda network people out there to adopt. Oh, not to adopt –

JANZEN:   -- to foster.

CHAMBERS: -- to foster, yeah.

JANZEN:   We're always looking for new foster homes. 

CHAMBERS: 700 different people do that. That's great. Yes. That's how you get it done. Teamwork makes a dream work. 

JANZEN:   That is exactly right. 

MIHAJLOV: What -- what percentage of fosters are foster fails? Meaning, people get the dog and go, I'm not giving this dog up. 

JANZEN:   We don't call them foster fails. I think of that as our satellite adoption program. 

CHAMBERS:  Exactly. On the margins. Right? It's all on margins. That's right. 

That's great. Awesome. Well, Kim, it's been a pleasure.

JANZEN:   Thank you.

CHAMBERS: We -- so much thank you. Thank you -- come in and let's do this again. Let's circle back and -- let's do

JANZEN:   Let’s do it once the facility opens.

CHAMBERS: Yeah. Yeah. That's right. That's right. So plus you have the furball coming up this fall. So yeah. Well, thank you for coming out. We very much appreciate it. Once again, we just completed another podcast with a soundtrack to the to a financial adviser's life here at Old Raleigh Financial Group. Thanks, folks.