Whole Pet NW Holds First Open House

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Talk to Joe Aschoft for more than a minute and you will learn he is passionate about helping small businesses.  This could be because he, himself, owns one, and takes it very seriously. 

“We are not only feeding dogs, but we are also feeding families,” said the owner of Whole Pet NW Distributing. “We are people focused on people. I love to know the faces of our customers.”

Aschoft, who acquired the 20-year-old company in 2012, after working his way up to management, employs eight people and distributes 20 brands in three states — Washington, Oregon and Idaho — plus just expanded into Northern California.

PHOTOS: WHOLE PET NW DISTRIBUTING OPEN HOUSE

They recently held their first open house at their Vancouver, Wash. warehouse.

He explained his “breed” is going extinct.

“A lot of the smaller independents distributors are out of business or being bought up by the larger ones,” he said.

His personalized service is something that was appealing to Kevin Claypool, who has owned Free Range Eco Naturals for the last 10 years.

“They have more personal interactions with their customers and can provide more of a personalized service to the smaller retailers,” said Claypool during the open house.

Although it was their first open house, Aschoft said he already has plans for next year, and intends to make it a yearly event.