World Pet Association’s Road Crew Visits Independent Pet Retailers

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The World Pet Association (WPA), best known for hosting industry events including SuperZoo, Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference, Aquatic Experience and America’s Family Pet Expos, has been sending its Road Crew to visit independent pet retailers across the United States to spur grassroots efforts in education and advocacy.

The crew , consisting of WPA director of community development Gwen Powell, community development coordinator Kim Corey, community development coordinator Shelly Armstrong and director of grooming and special services Judy Breton, CMG, CKO, travels coast to coast each year to pay surprise visits to roughly 2,200 of the more than 13,000 pet retail operations in the United States. Upcoming stops include Minnesota, Nevada, Illinois, Washington, Arizona, California and Utah.

“The Road Crew is a great way to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who makes our industry so special,” said Doug Poindexter, president of WPA. “These visits allow us to see exactly what’s important to retailers as we talk with them and tour their businesses. We use these interactions to tailor educational programming and other offerings at our trade shows and conferences, our advocacy efforts at the legislative level and donations to programs and non-profits to best serve the pet industry.”

The visits provide qualitative research and help inform the training and education WPA provides at its flagship events, making sure attendees are equipped to run successful operations and are on the cutting-edge of consumer trends.

“WPA believes there is no better way to truly understand the needs of pet retailers than to see them at work,” Poindexter said. “The passion we witness on these Road Crew visits embodies the mission of WPA: to be an advocate for promotion of the responsible growth, health and sustainability of the pet retail industry as a whole and foster the well-being of pets and their families on a national and international level.”

Find out how your store’s sales and operating performance stacks up against other pet retailers with a confidential benchmarking report from Pet Store Pro and the World Pet Association (WPA).