Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Skeens.
Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up an only child just outside Washington, D.C., before relocating to Jacksonville during the summer following freshman year of high school. After graduating from Fletcher High School in Jacksonville Beach, I earned my BSN from the University of North Florida with a minor in Spanish Language and completed the Nurse Residency Program at Mayo Clinic. I became the first in my family to enter the healthcare field and have been a registered nurse since 2018.
Over the years, my clinical background has included multiple specialties—from Cardiac and Emergency Care to Progressive and Forensic (correctional) Nursing among others. I’m certified in Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and I specialize in ultrasound-guided IV placement—a unique skill I developed in the ER and while travel-nursing in cities like Tampa Bay, Miami, and Nashville. We’re proud to be one of the few clinics in the country using ultrasound technology to improve accuracy, reduce discomfort, and help patients with needle phobia feel more at ease.
Miami not only sharpened my fluency in Spanish, but it’s also where I met my amazing wife, Kelsey—another travel nurse who specializes in surgery. We were introduced by a mutual friend, and I proposed on the first anniversary of the day we met. We got married in the Dominican Republic exactly two years to the day we met and we now live in Jacksonville Beach with our two cats and a rescue pup named Polly.
While working at Mayo Clinic, I often made suggestions to workflows and they even implemented structural changes to the building that I recommended in my time there. I was often called in by other nurses to assist with difficult IV placements, often doing over 20 a day. I loved working there, however I began wondering, “What if I could just do IV’s all day, but on my own terms?” After seeing IV hydration clinics thrive in other markets like Miami and Las Vegas, I saw the gap in the market here in Jacksonville: most existing services were either national franchises without local roots or didn’t offer mobile care. With that vision, and the support of my wife, I launched Duuuval Drips in the summer of ‘24.
We have an office in Jax Beach, but we’re primarily a mobile, nurse-owned IV therapy clinic bringing concierge, top-tier wellness directly to homes, offices, hotels, and events. In just our first year, we’ve been blessed to be able to provide IV drips to multiple Jacksonville Jaguars, UNF and Jacksonville University athletics, and at events like music festivals and The Engage!24 luxury summit at the Ritz-Carlton. We also support our community with bachelor and bachelorette parties, weddings, golf outings, travel prep, and corporate wellness events.
When Do People Get IV Therapy?
While most people associate IVs with hangovers, we help with a much broader range of wellness needs:
Athletic performance & post-exercise recovery
– Muscle cramping or fatigue
– Immune support & illness prevention
– Cold, Flu, and COVID recovery
– Jet lag & long travel days
– Dehydration or sunburn, especially in Florida heat
– Mold exposure & detox support
– Kidney stones & UTIs, especially for repeat sufferers
– PMS symptoms like nausea, fatigue, cramping, and headaches
– Hangover relief before or after events
Each drip can be customized and is overseen by experienced medical professionals. Many of our patients are busy professionals, travelers, athletes, or people with chronic health concerns looking for fast, effective care without having to spend all day in an ER..
What’s Next?
In the long term, we plan to construct a mobile infusion suite—a custom trailer that can treat several patients simultaneously and anywhere we are needed at events like tailgates, festivals, and weddings.
While we aim to continue supporting the Beaches community, ultimately our biggest dream is to one day become an official partner of professional sports teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars. Whether that’s dripping the team in the offseason or being on the sidelines for recovery needs on game days. Many professional sports teams have adopted IV Therapy and we would love to make that happen for the Jags one day.
At Duuuval Drips, we believe that feeling your best should be easy, convenient, and clinically sound. This business was born from nursing experience and entrepreneurial drive, and we’re just getting started.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with any new business, there were definitely struggles. At first I planned to try to run this entirely from my home, but I came to realize to have the appropriate permits, one must have a commercial space. So there was a scramble to get some permitting and find a location. At first we operated out of a small room the size of a large closet inside a tanning salon. Now our office is much more professional and a place i’m proud to see patients.
Certainly building a client base is a challenge without much of a marketing budget. I put about 10-15k of my own savings ( basically all of it) in to start the business. That being said, we reached profitability in only our 4th month of seeing patients, and have continued to do so every month since. I still haven’t taken any of these profits yet as I pay the bills working 2-3 nights a week as a valet. I have reinvested all of the profits so far back into the business.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I credit a lot of my success so far to a networking group I joined early on called BNI – Business Networking International. I meet with over 100 other successful local business people every Thursday morning as well as the Health & Wellness subgroup every monday morning. They have been instrumental as referral partners but moreso as mentors and as a support system as I navigate the new challenges of the entrepreneurial world.
I grew up as an only child and went to 11 different schools from K-12, Often being the new kid, I was either going to be a loner or get out there and make friends with strangers, I chose the latter and that has certainly helped me in professional networking settings.
Pricing:
- Just fluids starts at $100 for in Clinic
- The most expensive Drip is only 245
- Mobile services vary but in general are about $50-100
- We do offer group rates and first time patient discounts, just ask!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.duuuvaldrips.com/services/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duuuvaldrips/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552275934388
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-skeens-bsn-rn-aaa71a94/
