IDEXX to Help Veterinary Community Strengthen the Bonds that Matter Most

WESTBROOK, Maine, September 17, 2014—IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDXX), has launched a comprehensive, multi-year initiative called Strengthen the bonds™, which is a framework designed to help veterinarians provide exceptional care to pets and improve the health of their practice. IDEXX’s Strengthen the bonds framework features new research, education and one-on-one support that veterinary practices can use to explore new ways of delivering care, fostering client loyalty and improving teamwork among staff.

Delivering high-quality patient care and maintaining a healthy practice is a challenge in today’s economic environment. Research conducted in collaboration with the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and presented during the State of the Industry report at the AAHA Yearly Conference in March 2014 revealed four key relationships—or bonds—that best support exceptional patient care and practice strength.

• Pet and owner bond
• Practice and client bond
• Practice and patient bond
• Veterinarian and staff bond

“When these bonds are strong, pets and practices stay healthier,” said Tammi Lesser, LVT, senior director of marketing from IDEXX. “We created the Strengthen the bonds framework to offer the veterinary community a new lens through which they can evaluate innovative ways of delivering care, fostering loyalty among clients and improving teamwork. The new insights provided through our Strengthen the bonds resources will allow veterinarians to refocus on their core mission, providing high-quality care to pets.”

A hallmark of the Strengthen the bonds program is IDEXX’s investment in a team of professionals dedicated to working directly with every IDEXX customer. This recently expanded team made up of veterinary diagnostic consultants, professional service veterinarians, and field support and inside customer support representatives will work one-on-one with customers to understand the unique needs and challenges faced by their practice. Practices will benefit from an individualized plan that will help them achieve their care goals in a manner that is appropriately matched to their needs.

“In 2013, we began working more closely with our customers to better understand the issues and opportunities they face in their individual areas,” said George Fennell, corporate vice president and general manager at IDEXX. “Right away, our customers expressed how much they appreciated the extra support. Our decision to expand our ability to provide this level of service is the direct result of their overwhelming feedback, and we look forward to working hand-in-hand with all of our customers to help them continue to provide high-quality care to pets while improving the health of their practice.”

Through the Strengthen the bonds framework, IDEXX will continue to examine new ways in which veterinary practices can achieve their care objectives while sustaining a healthy practice. Initiatives currently underway include the following:

Research
The bonds research revealed practices that ranked the bond between the pet and pet owner as most important experienced growth rates of 10 percent or more for two consecutive years. The veterinary community can use this data to explore best practices that make sense for their growth mindset.

New research will continue to examine the qualities of veterinary practices that support exceptional pet care and practice strength and deliver findings to the larger community.

Education and Training
The IDEXX Learning Center provides opportunities for veterinary professionals to gain knowledge they can put into practice. In the bonds research, IDEXX identified 16 success factors associated with high practice growth. The IDEXX Learning Center offers an extensive range of diagnostic and practice management education, including on-demand courses, tutorials, webinars, seminars and sponsored conference sessions at local and national tradeshows. Education is offered for different levels of knowledge and experience that is practical, informative and appropriate for both practices looking to create the future of veterinary care with bold leaps forward as well as those looking to take more modest steps. To date, more than 22,000 practices have participated in complimentary education on the IDEXX Learning Center and have been awarded more than 550,000 continuing education (CE) certificates of completion, representing an estimated $42 million investment by IDEXX in the profession.

Awareness 
IDEXX’s Strengthen the bonds™ photo sweepstakes encourages veterinarians and their staffs to submit photos depicting the numerous ways they are strengthening the bonds within their practice. We are celebrating these important bonds and the veterinary practice’s role in strengthening them. Winners—chosen weekly and monthly—will receive great prizes. The grand prize is a $5,000 individual travel voucher and $15,000 practice voucher to be used towards strengthening a bond of its choice. To participate, visit facebook.com/Strengthenthebonds.

IDEXX also hosts a web site dedicated to sharing the stories of practices that are strengthening the bonds, which includes video testimonials.

About IDEXX Laboratories
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. is a leader in pet healthcare innovation, serving practicing veterinarians around the world with a broad range of diagnostic and information technology-based products and services. IDEXX products enhance the ability of veterinarians to provide advanced medical care, improve staff efficiency and to build more economically successful practices. IDEXX is also a worldwide leader in providing livestock and poultry diagnostic tests and tests for the quality and safety of water and milk. Headquartered in Maine, IDEXX Laboratories employs more than 6,000 people and offers products to customers in more than 175 countries.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This trade release contains or may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “may,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “would,” “will,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “should,” and similar words and expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events. These statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements because actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied. The reports filed by the Company pursuant to United States securities laws contain discussions of these risks and uncertainties. The Company assumes no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are advised to review the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (which are available from the SEC’s EDGAR database at www.sec.gov , at various SEC reference facilities in the United States and via the Company’s website at www.idexx.com ).
 

Contact

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.
Sara Stone
Marketing Manager
1-207-556-8127

sara-stone@idexx.com