ViaGen Pets and Equine’s work to deliver genetic preservation and cloning services to pet and horse owners worldwide is lead by Blake. Blake also personally runs an equine breeding program at his own ranch in North Texas, where he and his family take care of his prized cloned stallion Pure Tailor Fit–a clone of Tailor Fit–the two-time AQHA Racing World Champion.
Blake has had a successful 25 year career in the animal genetics business–working in more than fifteen countries–and has been responsible for sales, marketing, business development, general management and operations. Blake received his B.S. in Animal Science from Oklahoma State University and his MBA from Emory University.
ViaGen Pets and Equine’s genetic preservation and cloning research are lead by Shawn and he has been one of the nation’s leading cloning experts for more than twenty years. While earning his PhD, Shawn did pioneering work in developing a highly efficient method for animal cloning.
Shawn’s family has two dogs; Maggie is a Schnoodle, a cross between a Giant Schnauzer and a Standard poodle and Tessa is a cross between an Anatolian Shepard and a Great Pyrenees. They also have a cat, Licorice, and a pot belly pig, Stinky, as well as 18 sheep and two horses–Anna and Appie.
Shawn received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Texas A&M University and his M.S. degree in Veterinary Medicine from Virginia Tech University.
Katy joined the ViaGen Pets and Equine team in 2019 as part of the Cell Culture laboratory. Recently Katy took over the role as Jr Embryologist at our ICSI lab working solely with our equine clients.
Before joining ViaGen Pets and Equine, Katy worked in Amarillo conducting ornithology research. Growing up in Texas, Katy has always been around animals, especially horses and dogs. For 15 years, Katy competed in dressage and show jumping events throughout Texas. She is a proud pet parent of two dogs, Sage (a black lab/German shepherd mix) and Ladybird (a chocolate lab). Katy earned her B.S. in Wildlife Biology at West Texas A&M.