Husband and Wife Team Become New Owners of Central Bark Broadview Heights, Ohio

Image of Central Bark franchisee, Jenifer, announcing her and her husband become new Owners of Central Bark Broadview Heights, Ohio

With an in-depth background in the restaurant franchise industry and deep love for dogs, Jennifer and Steve Skomski decided to invest in the Central Bark concept after recognizing an unmet demand for quality and science-backed dog day care services.

Central Bark, the doggy day care pioneer with nearly 40 locations around the country, announced plans to continue its Midwest growth followed by another 200 units across the rest of the country scheduled to open over the course of the next decade. Jennifer and Steve Skomski are the husband-and-wife- franchisee team behind this latest stage of exciting growth in Ohio – the couple signed a new franchise agreement for Central Bark’s Broadview Heights, OH location a short time ago.

For the past several years, both Steve and Jennifer have worked in the franchise industry and currently own several Culver’s restaurants in Ohio. Steve also brings a lot of corporate experience to their operations from his tenure with Nestle as well. The couple had been customers of Central Bark for several years and absolutely loved everything about our concept. In fact, they loved it so much they decided to invest in it.

“When we first met with Steve and Jennifer and learned about their desire to diversify their franchise investment portfolio, we came away really impressed,” said Bob Crawford, CEO of Central Bark. “And it was serendipitous that they happened to be customers of Central Bark already, so they were familiar with our operations and our science-backed commitment to care.”

And while the couple say they certainly recognized an unmet need in the Northern Ohio doggy day care space for an offering like Central Bark, it was Bob’s passion along with Co-Founders Chris Gaba and Jackie Jordan for the future of the business that sold them on the concept. “It’s clear from the first time we spoke to Chris, Jackie and Bob about how proud they were of the level and kind of care Central Bark provides,” said Jennifer. “The brand is bringing in strong revenue across the system with a huge percentage of locations eclipsing the $1M mark, and we knew that could translate to success in Broadview Heights. Central Bark has seen a lot of growth, even during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the number of dogs being adopted.”

Looking ahead, Jennifer and Steve say their plan is to open multiple Central Bark locations. “We see a bright future for Central Bark in Ohio and across the Midwest,” said Steve. “You have to believe in the product you’re selling, and we are huge fans of Central Bark and so proud to be owners now.”

For more information on franchise ownership, visit centralbarkusa.com/franchising