A Family-Owned Operation

Meet Our Team

At Vermillion Veterinary Clinic, we treat you and your pets like our family! Get to know our exceptional team below.

Doctors & Leadership

Dr. Aaron Bessmer

Dr. Aaron Bessmer

Practice Manager and Practice Owner

Dr. Aaron Bessmer has always had a passion for taking care of animals. Growing up in nearby Pender, Nebraska, he had a wide variety of animals. After graduating from high school in Pender, he earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska. He then went on to study veterinary medicine at Kansas State University, earning his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. Dr. Bessmer moved to Hartley, Iowa, where he practiced for one year before moving back to Sioux City. He joined the team at Roach Animal Hospital, where he practiced for nearly four years. In 2012 Aaron and his wife Rachel purchased Elk Creek Animal Hospital.  Then in 2020, the Bessmer’s purchased Vermillion Veterinary Clinic.  Dr. Bessmer and Rachel split their time between the two clinics and enjoy working with all their clients in the tri-state area. Dr. Bessmer and his wife Rachel have three girls, two dogs, and four barn cats that keep them busy in their spare time. Dr. Bessmer also enjoys being outdoors, hunting, fishing, and watching the Huskers play football.

Dr. Kalene Gross

Dr. Kalene Gross

Veterinarian

Dr. Kalene Gross grew up on a farm in Rosalie, Nebraska. She always loved caring for the farm animals, especially the farm cats. Being on a pig farm, Dr. Gross also took care of numerous dogs and a wide variety of farm animals. After attending Bancroft Rosalie High School, she went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree at Morningside College and was a part of the women’s basketball program. Dr. Gross continued her education in the UNL/ISU veterinary program earning her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University in May 2018. Dr. Gross and her husband live in Sioux City and enjoy all the things to see and do in the Siouxland area. She enjoys playing basketball, golfing, visiting family and friends, and spending time with her dog, Zeke, and cat, Jaylon, in her free time. She is looking forward to meeting you and all your four-legged friends!

Rachel Bessmer

Rachel Bessmer

Office Manager & Practice Owner

Rachel was born and raised in Nebraska. Her passion for animals began at an early age when she would accompany her Dad while calling on farmers. She graduated from Wayne State College with a degree in business management. After Dr. Bessmer and Rachel married, they purchased Vermillion Veterinary Clinic with the goal of providing the best customer service and patient care to their clients and creating the best possible workplace environment for their employees. The duo works well together with their two degrees, and although Dr. Bessmer’s main focus is the animals and Rachel’s main focus is the business side, running a vet clinic is a family affair, and they both work in all parts of the clinic. You will often find their daughters helping as well.

Dr. Elizabeth Schmit

Dr. Elizabeth Schmit

Veterinarian

Dr. Elizabeth Schmit is originally from Rapid City, SD where she grew up exploring the Black Hills, rescuing turtles that crossed the street, walking dogs, and developing a love of continuous learning. Dogs, cats, pocket pets, and reptiles were just a few of her favorite animals. Her parents fostered a love of animals, outdoors, and science, so she pursued and completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in (Go Huskers!).

Dr. Elizabeth earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine in May of 2021. While she studied all species through her education, she focused on small animals like dogs and cats and hopes to expand her work with small mammals and exotics. Dr. Elizabeth lives in Elk Point with her husband Dr. Nick and their cat, Zazu. She enjoys being active outside, growing vegetables in the garden, and helping in their first house flipping experience. She is ready to turn her passion for animals into her career and serve the surrounding community of people and animals!

Dr. Nick Schmit

Dr. Nick Schmit

Veterinarian

Dr. Nick Schmit was raised on his family farm in Randolph, NE where he helped care for cattle and pigs. His interest in animals continued to grow, and he frequently enjoyed raising chickens, sheep, rabbits, his own cattle, geese and had several pet dogs and cats. After graduating from Randolph High School, he attended Wayne State College where he majored in biology. He also ran Cross Country and Track for the Wildcats.

Dr. Nick continued his education in the UNL/ISU Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine, and graduated with his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2020. Dr. Nick practiced as a small animal veterinarian in central Iowa before joining the Vermillion and Elk Creek hospital team. Dr. Nick met his wife, Dr. Elizabeth, while in school, and they were married in December 2019. They recently moved to Elk Point, SD where they are remodeling their first home. Dr. Nick enjoys many hobbies including running, house renovation, and playing fetch with their cat, Zazu.

Our Staff

Lydia

Veterinary Assistant

About Lydia

Lydia has been working at Elk Creek Animal Hospital and Vermillion Veterinary Clinic since March 2019. She was born in Spearfish, South Dakota, and raised in Storm Lake, Iowa. She graduated from Western Iowa Tech Community College with an Associate of Arts degree and an Associate of Science degree. She hopes to continue her education in the veterinary field and would one day love to have a little farm where she could have many kinds of animals. When she is not at work, Lydia likes to spend time with her two dogs, whom she loves to spoil and treat like her kids.

Bizzy

Veterinary Assistant

About Bizzy

Bizzy grew up in Vermillion with three dogs and a cat, spending most of her time at the softball fields until she graduated from Vermilion high school. She is currently attending USD and will be graduating in May with a biology degree. She hopes to continue her education, with the eventual goal of becoming a veterinarian! When not at work or studying, Bizzy enjoys hiking, fishing, going on road trips, watching movies, and cuddling with her cats, Mouse and Binx.

Jake

Veterinary Assistant

About Jake

Jake was born and raised in Las Vegas but moved to South Dakota for his lovely wife a few years ago. He has been working in the vet industry since his first job as a kennel staff at age 17 and has been a vet assistant since he was 18. Jake has aspirations of continuing his education to become a licensed tech! When asked about his favorite thing about working in veterinary medicine, Jake said,

“I love getting to experience the wide variety of personalities that our furry friends have to offer! Every dog and cat that we see is so different from one another and I love getting to be a part of that.”

In his free time, Jake plays the guitar, plays video games, and watches horror movies with his wife and their four cats!

Kirby

Veterinary Assistant

About Kirby

Bio coming soon!

Roxy

Roxy

Veterinary Assistant

About Roxy
Born and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Roxy grew up with farm animals, specifically sheep, and chickens. She graduated from Southeast Tech with an Associate of Science degree, and she is currently working towards getting her Veterinary Technician license. Having two Siberian huskies (Breezy and Ruby) motivated her to pick her desired field to help animals and support her community by providing ethical care for our pets. Roxy enjoys cinema, podcasts, and tranquil evenings with her friends between studying and working. A few of her hobbies include dog training, journaling, and doing puzzles.

Sierra

Veterinary Assistant

About Sierra

Bio coming soon!

Tara

Office Manager
About Tara
Tara grew up 20 minutes from Niagara Falls on the Canadian side of the border. She and her husband, Lee, moved to Vermillion in 2011. They loved living in Vermillion so much that they became US citizens in early 2021.

Tara has been working off and on in veterinary clinics since 2004. She has always enjoyed the fast pace and unpredictability each workday has to offer. She also loves to meet all the patients and help them, and their owners get their needs met.

When she is not working, she enjoys crafting, working on home projects, gardening, and spending time with all her animals.

Hailey

Client Service Coordinator

About Hailey

Hailey was born and raised in Norfolk, Nebraska. She has always loved animals and grew up with a dog and a rabbit. Hailey recently graduated from The University of South Dakota with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. She enjoys living in Vermillion with her cat, Luna. Her favorite thing about working at Vermillion Veterinary Clinic is that she gets to meet lots of great people and interact with many kinds of animals.

Kiera

Client Service Coordinator

About Kiera
Kiera grew up in Elk Point, SD. She currently resides in her hometown with her two daughters. She was ecstatic to begin a career with the Vermillion Vet Clinic family starting in 2021!

Kiera has always loved animals and has always had at least one critter running around. She currently has two horses, a pony, two cats, two dogs, and two leopard geckos. When she isn’t at work, you can surely find her with her children out at the barn.

Vanessa

Client Service Coordinator

About Vanessa
Bio coming soon!