Doggy Daycare Brand Hounds Town USA Restructures Leadership Team

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Press release: Hounds Town USA

Hounds Town USA is unveiling a newly restructured leadership team to further support operations and marketing initiatives systemwide. On the heels of Hounds Town USA’s brand evolution announcement, the leading doggy daycare and boarding concept announced the promotions of three of its executive team members, including David Martinelli, Amanda Moore, and Scott Lanni to chief relationship officer, VP of marketing, and VP of operations, respectively.

Martinelli has been with the brand for over a year, most recently serving as VP of marketing. Prior to that, he held numerous roles at leading restaurant and retail brands in the marketing and operations realms including Crocs, McDonald’s, Smashburger and Pet Releaf. Within his previous roles, Martinelli drove brand development, led various new product campaigns, managed agency relationships, and more. In fact, in one of his prior roles, Martinelli’s strategic marketing initiatives led to a 20% increase in sales from the previous year. Now, combining his expertise, Martinelli will oversee the marketing and operations strategies with the goal of creating synergy between the two departments to achieve brand standards and franchisee satisfaction while furthering the growth of Hounds Town USA.

Moore will play an integral role in the brand’s marketing strategy and the execution of the recently announced brand evolution as the team continues to roll out updates systemwide. This move allows Moore to play on her strengths as a marketing expert, with close to eight years of experience in the industry. Within her previous roles, Moore led the marketing strategies of various franchise concepts including Homewatch CareGivers and Wag N’ Wash Natural Pet Food & Grooming. She oversaw brand management, provided marketing training to franchisees, as well as planned and executed various campaigns, all of which primed her well for her new role with Hounds Town USA. Moore is looking to increase the brand’s momentum by adopting new and trending marketing initiatives to drive engagement on a whole new level.

Lanni joined the pack in February of 2022 as senior director of franchise support. His new role in the operations department builds upon this experience to ensure that all franchisees receive robust training and operations support throughout the location opening process and beyond. With more than 15 years of experience in franchise operations for various brands including Pinch A Penny Pools, Doc Popcorn and Ultra Pool Care, Lanni is uniquely qualified to lead the franchisee onboarding, training, and opening procedures. Within his previous roles, Lanni trained new franchisees, led the creation of new operations systems and training materials, implemented marketing initiatives for franchisees and more, resulting in increases in AUV, reduced corporate costs, and overall franchise expansion.

“These promotions are well-deserved on every level,” said Rob Flanagan, resident of Hounds Town USA. “We recognized that the marketing and operations departments working in tandem led to a lot more success for our brand as a whole, and David is the integral piece in the puzzle as Chief Relationship Officer. I’m confident that this restructuring will guide continued expansion for Hounds Town, and that David, Amanda, and Scott will prosper in their new roles.”

As Hounds Town USA looks ahead, the brand is focused on implementing a number of technological innovations and training initiatives while maintaining the new brand standards. In addition, the team will put an emphasis on maintaining strong communication to foster better relationships between corporate and the franchisees of both legacy stores and new locations, while also identifying avenues for growth for employee development and franchise expansion.

“We’ve built a very strong team with leaders who have proven to be experts in guiding the marketing initiatives and operations of brands on a large scale,” said Martinelli. “Now, we can work together on an even closer level, and fully integrate these efforts to best support Hounds Town moving forward.”

This announcement follows an incredible year of growth and achievements. In fact, in 2022, the brand drove an 86 percent increase in stores opened compared to the year prior and added 50+ locations in development nationwide. The brand is off to an equally strong start in 2023, landing on Entrepreneur magazine’s coveted Franchise 500 list last month. This highly sought-after award ranking helps reinforce Hounds Town’s reputation as a leader in the pet care space and its goal to open 25 stores this year.

Hounds Town USA is truly a unique pet care business, with services that include interactive dog daycare, luxury boarding, and stress-free spa services. Supervised by a well-trained staff, dogs can play all day, providing both physical and mental stimulation, with a group of dogs that match their size and temperament for safe and fun socialization— guaranteeing a Hounds Town Hangover when pets go home. Further setting itself apart from other daycares, Hounds Town USA has a no breed discrimination policy, making it easier for pet owners to find reliable care. For feline lovers, Hounds Town USA also offers specially designed cat condos for overnight boarding as well.