Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 • Brian Lopez : contact

UTA College of Business alumni change the world for the better every day. From working with foreign nations to founding international businesses, our alumni innovate to make a difference financially, technologically and philanthropically. It’s easy to see the work they do every day, even here in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Ace Swenson is the founder of Ace’s Place Animal Rescue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that rescues dogs from shelters around DFW and finds dependable temporary fosters for them until they are adopted to their forever homes.

Along with doing the groundwork to find the perfect foster homes, Ace’s Place donates microchipping scanners, educates the public and fosters about spaying and neutering, and works with startup rescues to improve the lives of stray dogs around the Metroplex.

“We were founded in 2021, and we rescue dogs across many shelters in DFW, specifically in Fort Worth, Saginaw and Mansfield. We place them in temporary foster homes until they're ready for adoption,” said Swenson. “We make sure they’re medically cleared, make sure behavioral issues are taken care of and find the best fit for each rescue where they can thrive until they are adopted.”

As a UTA College of Business alumna, Swenson gained invaluable skills in management and organization that she uses every day when leading her team.

“We operate a team of 10 and use skills I learned at UTA in everything from management and delegation to social media marketing,” she explained. “I use my skills to keep the team functioning so that we can remain accomplished and happy. I use a lot of my knowledge from accounting and use marketing every day for engagement, fundraising and brand awareness. Social media strategies go directly into the funding we get.”

After graduation, Swenson found her calling when fostering for a local shelter. She saw a need to improve the system and used her business background to help make a change locally.

“It started when my husband and I first fostered at two local shelters. Both were disappointing experiences. We received no support there; we were kind of abandoned,” Swenson explained. “We saw a lot of ways to improve the rescue experience. I saw fosters getting really frustrated and a lot of people giving up. At that point we decided that we’d just start our own with the values that we held.”

From her poor experiences, Ace’s Place Animal Rescue was born. Although her journey starting the nonprofit was difficult, she overcame obstacles and has created a successful organization that helps animals and reduces overpopulation for her North Texas community.

“One of the hardest parts of starting Ace’s Place was establishing my credibility. Fosters were hard to find initially, especially because many previously had bad experiences,” Swenson explained. “I would say we’re very reputable at this point. We have core pillars in kindness, gratitude and transparency. Putting that stuff out there pays off.”

Her experience creating a nonprofit has pushed her to help others interested in following in her footsteps.

“We started our own grant called the Rising Star Rescue Grant. It’s for new Texas rescues under 1 year old that have obtained their 501(c)(3) or have submitted their application for one. The whole idea is that we will give $500 and supplies. We also educate them on marketing and creating a brand,” Swenson explained. “We’re not looking for perfection in our candidates, because we want to help people who need the help.”

Swenson and her team have helped various dogs and fosters come together to create a community of love and success. From actively keeping stray dogs out of shelters until they find their forever homes to educating the local population about overpopulation and ways to combat it, the work she and her team accomplish daily makes a difference.

“It makes me feel validated and accomplished. When I first see our dogs finding love and comfort in their foster homes, and then when I see them thrive in their forever homes, it does make me feel validated in knowing that we’re making a difference. Even if it’s just one dog, changing their life is all that I need, and I feel so much gratitude for that.”

— Written by Thomas Johns, College of Business