Zoom Room Indoor Dog Training Gym Announces New VP Leadership Roles

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Press release: Zoom Room

Zoom Room, the venture-backed, revolutionary indoor dog training gym, recently announced the promotion and hiring of two experienced executives in leadership roles that will help to strengthen and support the brand as the organization continues to expand nationwide. As the pet industry continues to experience unprecedented growth, Liz Claflin has been promoted to the franchisor’s newly developed position of vice president of strategic projects, while Stephanie Knepp has been appointed as the vice president of operations. In their new roles, Claflin and Knepp will be responsible for project management and operational business support for Zoom Room.

With years of service in law enforcement, Claflin was ready for a change when she learned of Zoom Room’s unique business model. Claflin’s next act became a reality in 2013 when she opened a Zoom Room location in Walnut Creek, California. After operating the dog training gym and realizing the potential of the brand, Claflin joined Zoom Room as a company executive to make a more substantial impact in helping grow the system. Having served as the vice president of operations for Zoom Room from 2017 to 2022, Claflin has now moved into the role of vice president of strategic projects where she will oversee projects requiring substantial institutional knowledge of the system, helping to benefit current and prospective franchisees. Claflin will be closely working with CEO Mark Van Wye and other members of the executive team.

“After 10 years with Zoom Room, I’m excited to step into this new role and create enhancements to Zoom Room’s unique system that will immediately impact our mature and new franchisees in positive ways while creating a more efficient and nimble operational process for our internal team,” said Claflin. “My most immediate goal in this position is to create an advanced knowledge base platform to provide franchisees instant access to best practices as well as to assist in the creation of an engaging, asynchronous learning system that will provide education to franchisees and their staff on topics from dog training to product knowledge and merchandizing.”

Knepp has been brought on as vice president of operations of Zoom Room. With her home base in Arizona, Knepp brings years of experience in operational services having started her career in lifestyle amenity management as well as additional operational experience in spa and beauty services. In her new role, Knepp will be overseeing the operational support of all Zoom Room locations as the leading member of the operational team. Knepp will assist in general operations of open locations, the development and launch of new locations, on-boarding and training of additional support team members, assisting with the franchise sales process and implementation of system-wide enhancements.

“I am thrilled to join the Zoom Room team and support the brand’s overall growth of the support system as Zoom Room expands nationwide. In this new role, a top priority is to get locations that are currently in site development to business launch – offering our modern approach to dog training, making it a lifestyle, to communities across the country,” said Knepp. “I will bring a fresh perspective to the table and provide our franchisees with the advice and guidance they need to succeed.”

“The pet sector has always fared well, even during the most economically-challenged times; the recent boom in dog ownership is unprecedented, and we are expanding our Zoom Room executive team to keep up with this demand. The vice president of strategic projects role was created to oversee high-impact projects that will ensure that Zoom Room provides the best experience it can for its clients and be the best business to own and operate for our franchisees. “No one is better suited than Liz to fill these new shoes,” said Mark Van Wye, CEO of Zoom Room. “As our newest hire, Stephanie will be taking up the reins to helm Zoom Room’s core business operations and to oversee the operational support of all Zoom Room franchises. I am confident that with her depth of experience in operations, Stephanie will excel in this role.”

Founded in 2007, Zoom Room is a venture-backed and revolutionary indoor dog training gym with locations across the U.S. With an emphasis on socialization, positive reinforcement, human education and the value of interactive learning, the company aims to strengthen the bond and communication between dogs and their owners. Zoom Room’s key revenue streams include dog training classes, socialization events and retail products. Zoom Room celebrates responsible pet owners who love to socialize with their dogs and embrace positive dog training methods in a fun, friendly environment for working out with your dog. They are the authors of Puppy Training in 7 Easy Steps, the best-selling dog training book of 2020, and Ultimate Puppy Training for Kids. Rooted in the belief that it’s important to give back to the community, Zoom Room works closely with animal rescue and welfare organizations both locally and nationwide.