Pet Brand F.M. Brown’s Announces Retirement, Addition to Sales Team

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Press release: F.M. Brown’s 

F.M. Brown’s Sons, Inc. a leading innovator and manufacturer of pet bird, small animal and wild bird products, recently announced that Ed Hartman, vice president of pet specialty sales, will be retiring after 16½ years with the company.

Hartman has been actively involved in the pet industry for 50 years. He was vice president of pet specialty and grocery sales for Lambert Kay for 32 years. He then spent two years at Ethical Products as vice president of pet specialty and grocery sales. Finally, in 2006, Hartman joined the F.M. Brown’s team. With the F.M. Brown’s team, he played a key role in the growth of the brand’s presence in stores such as Pet Valu, Pet Supplies Plus and Pet Supermarket.

“Ed has managed our pet specialty accounts with professionalism, trust and dignity. An expert negotiator, he worked through customer conflicts with ease and grace. He has never made an enemy, and the industry calls him Fast Eddie,” said Sue Brown, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “He is friends with everyone, and carries himself like a gentleman in every situation he’s in. He is going to be missed.”

Upon retirement, Hartman said he is most looking forward to spending time with “my sweetheart of 56 years, Diane; my son, EJ; and our new Lab puppy, Maggie Mae.”

Hartman will continue to work closely with F.M. Brown’s throughout the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition.

In addition, F.M. Brown’s has announced that Brian Haley, an experienced sales leader and customer relationship builder, has joined its sales team as national sales manager.

“I am looking forward to helping F.M. Brown’s grow their business. I believe that my experiences and skills, along with the F.M. Brown’s teams’ commitment to being the best wild bird & companion pet food company will help us continue as a leading company in the industry,” said Haley.

Haley most recently served as vice president of sales and purchasing for the Traditional Wholesale Distribution group of Burris Logistics that distributed products to leading grocery, mass and commissary customers throughout the East coast. Prior to Burris Logistics, he worked at Pepsi Bottling Group for 20 years in various sales and operations roles. He has an MBA and BS in Business Management from Widener University, and served on the board of directors on the National Frozen and Refrigerated Association for 10 years.

“Brian’s wealth of experience in sales and operations will greatly benefit us as we execute our expansion plans in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania,” said Sue Brown, senior vice president of sales and marketing.  “We are definitely in a growth mode, and having him lead us as we pursue new business opportunities is something that we are very excited about.”

While he is new to the pet market, Haley has already hit the ground running, with two pet industry trade shows already under his belt.

“I am looking forward to supporting the organization as we build growth for the future generations at F.M. Brown’s,” he said.