How do you take an established pet franchise and move it to the next level? Central Bark CEO, Bob Crawford, recently sat down with the Wolf of Franchises to discuss this and more on a recent podcast. Bob came to Central Bark from his role as president and CEO of Brook Furniture Rental, a national high end / high touch service company where he oversaw a team of 400 professionals delivering furniture in 26 states. During his tenure, he took Brook from a regional player in the industry to a national leader through innovation, new service lines, expansion, and operational improvements across the system. Prior to Brook Furniture Rental, he served as the director of North American marketing for Coca-Cola’s QSR (quick service restaurant) portfolio and was a brand manager for the Quaker Oats Company where he gained management experience in the pet food and pet treats businesses.
The idea of innovation has been a foundation of Bob’s leadership style throughout his career, and he’s now focused on delivering it across the Central Bark system after joining the company in 2022 to help scale our business. During his discussion with the Wolf of Franchises, Bob hits on several interesting topics including the explosion of the number of dogs following the pandemic, how Central Bark differentiates itself from its competitors through its canine behavioral science-based curriculum, and how our franchisees are well poised to take advantage of the $123 billion pet industry. The macro trends in terms of pet ownership are growing and with more than 90 million dogs now, this is fueling exponential growth in pet spending per dog as well.
With a strong core base of owner-operators, Central Bark is now growing into a multi-unit-based franchise offering as our existing franchisees continue to build and expand locations. This growth is being fueled by Central Bark’s strategic partnership with the private equity group NewSpring, which is accelerating development, increasing brand awareness, and strengthening our mission to provide an environment where all people and dogs feel safe, valued, respected, and loved. The partnership has also afforded Central Bark with increased access to capital and additional resources needed to bolster our infrastructure while maximizing the profitability and success of our franchise network. To listen to the entire Wolf of Franchises podcast, click HERE.
For more information on franchising with Central Bark, visit centralbarkfranchising.com.