The sweltering summer heat couldn’t stop the celebration of a new era for Franklin’s Southampton Veterinary Clinic PC.

Alongside various City of Franklin and Southampton County officials, Southampton Veterinary Clinic PC Owner and Veterinarian Dr. Wanda B. Bradshaw and her staff broke ground for the clinic’s upcoming new building on Thursday, June 6. The new building is located at 26364 Delaware Rd and is expected to be completed mid-2025.

Franklin-Southampton Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber President Will Holt talked about the expansion at the ceremony.

“…Thank you for being here to celebrate the wonderful expansion of one of Franklin and Southampton County’s finest businesses, Southampton Veterinary Clinic,” Holt said. “They’ve operated from just down the road, as we all know, since the 1990s. I think 35 years almost now. On behalf of the Chamber, we want to congratulate you on this expansion.”

Bradshaw called the groundbreaking a “long-awaited” moment and discussed how the new facility will be different from the current location.

“It’s going to be a change for us because we are going to miss that little building,” Bradshaw said. “…It’s going to be a change, but it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of room. New things that we’ve been wanting to put into the building.”

Bradshaw says she’s excited about having more room than before.

“Better sound system, just better computer systems. I wanted to invest in them a lot. I didn’t really want to do it because I added on, added on. So now, I want to put all those thoughts into my new building,” Bradshaw said. “I’m just excited about having more space. We’re not bumping into each other, maybe hiring more veterinarians so we all don’t have to work as hard!”

LVT Ashley Benton says it’s exciting to “grow as a family.”

“To work with Dr. Bradshaw, all of us when working together, we make a great team and to be able to see that expanded, to better take care of our patients, to better take care of our clients, it’s just going to be really awesome,” Benton said.

Office Receptionist Elizabeth Barnes also expressed her excitement for Bradshaw herself.

“We’re really excited for all of us, but especially for Dr. Bradshaw. Because it’s something that she’s wanted for a while,” Barnes said.

For more information, go to southamptonvetclinic.com and facebook.com/Southampton.Veterinary.Clinic.