A Sweet Treat
[Above] Mariah Harmony of the Villalobos Rescue
Center in New Orleans explains how Treatibles Tater’s
Sweet Potato Tots treats calm the animals at the
rescue. The rescue teamed up with Treatibles (booth
1107), which will donate money to help with the res-
cue’s veterinarian bills. [Right] Julianna Carella of Treat-
ibles answers attendees’ questions about the treats.
[1] Damian Hall of The Hagen Group (booth 1767)
promotes new additions to the Bug Bites line—the
color-enhancing formula and the turtle formula.
[ 2] Neil Werde explains the benefits of the Tough
Core safe tennis ball at the Worldwise booth (2655).
[ 3] Susan Weiss of Ark Naturals Products for Pets
(booth 1547) with the company’s new meat-free Sea
Mobility Joint Rescue supplements. [4] Retail
attendees gather at the Tether Tug booth (2566)
to see the product in action.
Jennifer Boncy (left) and Lindsey
Wojcik of Pet Product News
magazine present the 2017-2018
Retailer of the Year Award to Mark
Vitt of Mutts & Co., which has five
locations in Ohio.
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WPA NAMES NEW OFFICERS
The World Pet Association (WPA) has elected new officers.
The officers are Michael Twain, chairman; Barry Berman, first vice chairman;
Pete Risano, second vice chairman; Vic Mason, CFO; and Troy Firth, secretary.
New board members include B.C. Henschen of Platinum Paws, Michael
Lou of Patchwork Pets and Keryn Rod of Puppy Spot.
Lew Sutton, executive vice president of the International Markets Division
at PetAg Inc., will be leaving the board.
Twain operates three direct import businesses—Amazing Pet Products, One
Pet Planet and Pet Specialty Merchandisers—and a web business, Pet Train.
com. He has experience in the retail, wholesale and manufacturing sectors.
Twain graduated from Oregon State with a degree in statistics and operations research, and a minor in computer science. His work experience includes
selling computer systems to the banking industry with NCR.
Other involvements include the original strategic plan and financing for
PET PRODUCT NEWS
UNVEILS RETAILER OF THE
YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Competition for independent pet retailers is fiercer than ever. From the
economy to big-box and mass competitors to more online retailers entering the space, independent pet stores
have weathered many storms. Still,
the country is chockfull of stores that
are thriving and surviving in their
markets.
With that in mind, Pet Product
News (PPN) (booth 3858) is honoring
outstanding pet specialty retailers,
groomers and service providers with
its annual Retailer of the Year Awards. After combing through dozens of
applications from retailers all across the U.S., PPN’s editors have selected
one standout store as our Retailer of the Year: Mutts & Co., which has five
stores in Ohio.
An additional 11 stores join Mutts & Co. as special honorees in this year’s
Retailer of the Year Awards. These stores have snagged awards for their
business achievements in a variety of categories.
In the coming months, PPN will feature profiles of the winners in each
issue.
The winners are:
Retailer of the Year
Mutts & Co., which has five stores in Ohio. The store carries dog, cat and
small animal products. It also offers adoption days, grooming and self-serve
dog washes.
Special Recognition Categories:
Merchandising & Store Design: CountryMax, which has 16 stores in New
York
Lifestyle & Boutique: Pawz on Main in Cottonwood, Ariz.
Holistic Approach: Animal Connection in Charlottesville, Va.
People & Pet Partner: Bend Pet Express, which has two stores in Oregon
Feline Friend: The Cat Connection in Dallas
Concept & Innovation: The Yuppy Puppy in Spokane, Wash.
Best In-Store Experience: Jungle Bob’s Reptile World, which has two stores
in New York
Employee Engagement & Training: Kriser’s Natural Pet, which has more
than 40 stores
Events & Customer Engagement: For Your Paws Only in North Conway,
N.H.
At Your Service: The Green K9 in Mount Dora, Fla.
Rescue Partner & Community Involvement: Cherrybrook Pet Supplies,
which has three stores in New Jersey
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