Industry Veterans Join Pet Supplies Plus

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As the next step in the company’s initiative to drive growth and support its current base of store owners, Pet Supplies Plus has announced the hires of three industry veterans to its already talented, pet-friendly network.

The new trio, consisting of Stephen Ritley, Jason Paulo and Christine Schultz, will put a concerted effort into driving the Pet Supplies Plus franchise opportunity in neighborhoods all over the country while also ensuring its current franchisees have the necessary corporate support for sustained success.

Pet Supplies Plus reached the 400-store milestone during the summer of 2017 and has 11 stores slated to open before the close of the year. The pet retail store is currently providing “Minus the Hassle” service in neighborhoods across 32 states.

“Stephen, Jason and Christine bring many individual strengths to the Pet Supplies Plus brand, and we are excited to utilize all of them within our team,” Pet Supplies Plus Chief Executive Officer Chris Rowland said. “We are a growing brand in an industry with year over year growth for more than two decades, and by bolstering our corporate staff, we will ensure Pet Supplies Plus is a common name in neighborhoods all over the country and our existing franchisees will retain the same success they’ve seen over the last several years. Our studies show we have hundreds of opportunities for additional stores in underserved markets across the country. We also have a proven model for conversion opportunities for independent pet stores interested in leveraging the power, economies of scale and the buying power of the Pet Supplies Plus brand.  With our new prototype layout that can range from 3,000 to 10,000 square feet, I feel there is a lot of room to grow and these individuals will help lead us in finding great franchisees that want to invest in our brand.”

The new additions to the Pet Supplies Plus franchise team include:

• Stephen Ritley, Director of Franchise Development: Prior to joining Pet Supplies Plus, Ritley served as the senior franchise development director at FASTSIGNS, where he spearheaded the growth of the custom signs retailers for over four years. He also worked eight years as the director of franchise sales for Merrymeeting Group and will now work with Paulo and Schultz to lead Pet Supplies Plus to the next major company milestone of 500 openings and beyond.
• Jason Paulo, Director of Franchise Development: Paulo has been in the franchising industry since 2003. He is the founder of a company that he franchised, leading it through the recession with strong growth to make the Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500. After selling his company, he took his passion for franchising and started a consulting company working with emerging businesses to help them grow through franchising. In addition, he served as development manager for Rhino 7 Franchising over the past year, working with two national brands. He will use his strong franchising and business expertise to develop the Pet Supplies Plus brand at the national level.
• Christine Schultz, Marketing and Franchise Development Support Specialist: Schultz joins Pet Supplies Plus with extensive experience in the advertising field and will now be tasked with expanding the pet store’s brand in the franchising arena. Schultz worked eight years as an advertising director at American Media, Inc. before tenures at InterMedia Outdoors and sales management at All You, Cooking Light & Health. Most recently, Schultz served as an account director at MaxPoint in the Detroit area.