Feb. 19—Within his lifetime, Chuck Nordstrom has worn many suits. Above all, Nordstrom is a collector.
His collection began during his tender years on a hobby farm in northwest Wisconsin, where his family collected and raised cows, goats, pigs, horses and ducks.
"We had a little bit of everything," Nordstrom said. "We all just collectively took care of anything else that was around."
On his desk inside the Bakersfield SPCA on Gibson Street are two cannonballs, stacks of paperwork, a bag of Doritos and "Dumbo" on VHS.
"The cannonballs are from the Civil War," Nordstrom said. "They're going to be a part of our book sale."
Along the wall are more stacks of paperwork, random detritus and replica lever action rifles. Seated atop a stack on the chair is a book on antiques.
As of this month, Nordstrom is the new executive director of the Bakersfield SPCA, a deserving title for the longtime assistant director that, according to him, hasn't changed much of anything.
"It's a minimal change because I pretty much already oversaw everything that happened here on a daily basis," Nordstrom said.
Being the executive director puts Nordstrom in charge of the local SPCA and the city Animal Care Center, including employee contract negotiations, training and "any problematic issues that come up."
He moved into the role after longtime director Julie Johnson took a position in Florida last fall.
Since 2011, Nordstrom had worked under Johnson as the assistant executive director. He said the SPCA's board of directors approached him immediately after Johnson's departure.
"I can think of no one better than Chuck," said SPCA board member Robin Paggi. "He has been the face of the organization for a long time and has done a great job at making people want to be interested and involved."
Paggi, new to the SPCA as a board member, is a longtime supporter and sponsor of the shelter. She said she was inspired to join after seeing the great work they're doing.
She gave the SPCA's annual book sale, which happens in April, as an example.
"It's a monstrous task, gathering all those books," Paggi said. "I can't imagine the amount of hours Chuck has put into that event or the organization all these years."
Indeed, Nordstrom said his biggest impact is and has been made through fundraising. The SPCA, unlike city and county shelters, makes its buck through general revenue and donations, much like the aforementioned book sale.
And while the SPCA charges dramatically more for its pets — $100 for senior dogs to $400 for puppies — Nordstrom said this is what is needed to stay afloat.
In his time in Bakersfield, Nordstrom has revolutionized the shelter's fundraising efforts. He entered the scene at a dire time, immediately after the city of Bakersfield sued the SPCA, which left the shelter in need of revenue.
"It was a big mess at the time," Nordstrom said.
The shelter now hosts several citywide events, from Furry Paws & Foggy Nights to pet-themed antique shows and summer programs for kids. This past year's Unleash Your Love event, for example, raised nearly $50,000.
The money has been used to renovate rooms and replace kennels, as well as open a new astroturf common space where "dogs can choose their owner." Since space is usually booked at the shelter, which houses little more than 150 animals, Nordstrom said they're always looking to expand.
Nordstrom said he borrowed fundraising ideas from his time on the board of directors for the Humane Society in Tucson, Ariz., from 1997-2003.
By the time he arrived in Bakersfield in 2003, Nordstrom had accrued two decades of experience in government relations and a stint managing an antique mall. He said he joined the SPCA after a chance conversation with a board member.
"We got talking and all of a sudden animals came up," he said. "Started doing whatever I could around here and next thing I knew I was offered a part-time job."
Now as executive director, Nordstrom said his priority is to stave off rising numbers of unspayed and neutered animals in the city.
"There's a shortage of vets and low-cost spay and neuter almost stopped, so there was a two-and-a-half-year gap where animals weren't getting fixed," Nordstrom said. "And we're in that cycle now, trying to climb out of that and we will, it's just gonna take a while."
The SPCA and many locations statewide have wait lists for the service, citing a lack of available veterinarians to do the procedure. During the height of the pandemic, the SPCA averaged a three-month wait period.
"The biggest mission here that I see is the importance of spay and neuter," Nordstrom said. "There's ongoing litter after litter being born here or dumped all over the (county) and there's not enough places to stick all these animals or enough people to adopt them all."
Nordstrom and the SPCA are currently spending a $185,000 grant received by UC Davis on several pop-up clinics specifically for spay and neuter of pets. According to Nordstrom, dates for March are already fully booked, but more spots will be open soon for April.
"I have worked with the city folks to put that into place and they've now had three clinics so far for the public," Nordstrom said.
