Who We Are ?
Better Choice Company, Inc. is a rapidly growing pet health and wellness company focused on providing pet products and services that help dogs and cats live healthier, happier and longer lives. We offer a broad portfolio of pet health and wellness products for dogs and cats sold under our Halo brand across multiple forms, including foods, treats, toppers, dental products, chews, and supplements. We have a demonstrated, multi-decade track record of success and are well positioned to benefit from the mainstream trends of growing pet humanization and consumer focus on health and wellness. Our products consist of kibble and canned dog and cat food, freeze-dried raw dog food and treats, vegan dog food and treats, oral care products and supplements. Halo’s core products are made with high-quality, thoughtfully sourced ingredients for natural, science-based nutrition. Each innovative recipe is formulated with leading veterinary and nutrition experts to deliver optimal health.
Our Focus
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E-Commerce is our largest channel and we partner with some of the most recognizable names in the world, including Amazon and Chewy. We have a strong and loyal base of pet parents that shop online, and boast a subscription rate of approximately 50%.
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Direct to Consumer is our smallest channel, and represents an opportunity for growth in the future. The vast majority of TruDog’s sales are made on our direct-to-consumer website, and we are looking to expand our direct-to-consumer offering to the Halo brand in 2022.
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International is one of our fastest growing channels, and is anchored by strong distribution partnerships in Asia. In total, we have secured $100 million in aggregate contracted revenue from 2021 - 2025 and are constantly looking to expand into new markets.
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Specialty is one of our most exciting channels for growth. In 2022 we expect to launch our innovative Halo products in 2,000 - 2,500 new stores, anchored by partnerships with Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, and other independent pet stores.
Management Team
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Kent Cunningham
CEO
Kent Cunningham is a passionate brand builder and business leader with over 25 years of CPG and Health & Wellness marketing and sales experience across a range of corporate environments and categories including accelerating growth within multinationals, brand turnarounds and high value exits in the private equity business for the likes of KKR & Co. Inc. Most recently, Mr. Cunningham was CEO of 1440 Foods, a sports and active nutrition company, and prior to that was General Manager at the Bountiful Company, an American dietary supplements company. From 2006 to 2013, Mr. Cunningham held various positions at MARS Petcare, owner of several health and nutrition pet food brands. -
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Donald Young
Chief Sales Officer
Donald Young joined Better Choice Company with more than 30 years of experience leading the sales organizations of several prominent pet specialty pet food brands including The Nutro Company (Natural Choice, MAX, and Greenies Brands) and Merrick Pet Care, Inc. (Merrick, Backcountry, Purrfect Bistro and Fresh Kisses Brands). Following his success at The Nutro Company, Mr. Young led the turnaround and expansion of Merrick Pet Care’s Pet Specialty business from 2010 – 2020, where he was directly responsible for growing the company from a niche brand to the #3 natural player in the pet specialty retail channel. Merrick Pet Care more than quadrupled its sales during this period, surpassing $500m in the process and ultimately leading to the sale of Merrick Pet Care to the Nestle Purina Company. Donald has also been recognized by his peers in the Pet Industry for his track record of success, winning numerous sales awards throughout his career including recognition as one of Pet Age Magazine’s 2019 ICON Winners. -
Jennifer Condon
Executive Vice President, Digital Sales
Jennifer Condon joins Better Choice Company from Mizkan America, where she was the head of E-Commerce and Shopper Marketing for brands including Ragu, Bertolli, Nakano and Holland House. From 2014 – 2019, Jennifer led Merrick Pet Care’s E-Commerce sales platform and was directly responsible for increasing online sales to $130 million in 2019, representing a 30% CAGR over five years. In addition to her work directly with E-Commerce retailers such as Amazon and Chewy, Jennifer has experience building her own direct-to-consumer business and was instrumental in the development of Lands’ End.com. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. -
Ryan Wilson
Vice President, Marketing
Ryan Wilson is a consumer products marketing leader with over 13 years of experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry, having previously worked for Merrick Pet Care, Abbott Nutrition, Nestle Purina, and Kimberly-Clark. Ryan’s recent successes at Merrick Pet Care include turning around a declining Zukes brand, launching Merrick Fresh Kisses, and doubling the profitability of Castor & Pollux. Ryan has been recognized for his success by industry peers and received the 2018 Pet Age Vanguard Series Award for Leaders in the Pet Industry. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and a Master of Business Administration in Brand and Product Management from The University of Wisconsin – Madison. -
Alex Vournas
Vice President, Supply Chain & Logistics
Alex Vournas is a highly accomplished Supply Chain professional who most recently was the Director of Supply Chain at Solid Gold Pet LLC, where he oversaw global distribution and logistics and was responsible for managing multiple international and domestic co-manufactures and warehouses, outsourced transportation and ordering logistics. Among many other accomplishments, Alex was responsible for managing the logistics related to the company’s significant expansion into Asia, which culminated in a sale of the business to Hong Kong based H&H Group in November 2020. In addition to his experience at Solid Gold, Alex has been a Supply Chain Director at various companies for over 10 years, including Anheuser-Busch and Sara Lee. Alex Vournas holds a Master of Business Administration in Management from St. Louis University.
Board of Directors
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Lionel Conacher
Director
Lionel Conacher joins Better Choice with over thirty years of financial experience, spanning senior positions in public companies in both Canada and the US, investment banking, private equity, and venture capital. Mr. Conacher currently serves as Chairman of DXL Group (NASDAQ: DXLG), where he has successfully guided the retail chain through the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, Mr. Conacher co-founded a San Francisco-based venture capital fund, Next Ventures, after serving as a Senior Advisor and Operating Partner at Altamont Capital Partners, a Palo Alto-based Private Equity Firm, for over seven years. Prior to his experience at Altamont Partners, he co-founded and served as the CEO of Westwind Partners Inc., a specialized Canadian institutional investment bank that was ultimately sold to Thomas Weisel Partners for $170 million in 2007 before being acquired by Steifel in 2010. Mr. Conacher holds an A.B. in Economics & Art History from Dartmouth College and is also actively involved in a variety of non-profits. -
John M. Word, III
Director
John M. Word III is renowned for transforming the California insurance broker’s role in the small group health benefits marketplace through his pioneering technological and marketing advances since 1972. Mr. Word founded the Word & Brown General Agency in 1984 to market and distribute health plans through California’s huge brokerage community; by 1986, the company was recognized as the largest independent small group health distributor in the nation. That same year, the company launched the nation’s first COBRA administration operation, sensing that employers needed assistance and qualified support with federal COBRA laws. CaliforniaChoice®, a groundbreaking enterprise empowering small business employees to select from multiple health plans within one program, was launched in 1996. -
Gil Fronzaglia
Director
Gil Fronzaglia has had a successful career serving as both a board and management team member for large consumer products companies, natural food and beverage startups, and most notably as a founding member and VP of Operations for Blue Buffalo. In addition to joining the board of Better Choice, Gil has served as a Board Member of Quinn Snacks since 2016, where he was the Interim COO from December 2018 through July 2019. Mr. Fronzaglia has also served as a member of the board of Grillo’s Pickles, the premium pet care brand I And Love And You and Spindrift Beverage Co. Mr. Fronzaglia is based in Boulder, Colorado and holds a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University, and a Masters of Business Administration from Barry University. -
Michael Young
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Young serves as our Chairman. Mr. Young is a founding partner of Cottingham Capital, an investment company focused on real estate, technology and Consumer brand investments. He has served at Cottingham as Managing Partner since its inception in January 2017. Prior to January 2017, Mr. Young served as the Managing Director and Co-Head of Trading for a Canadian Investment bank. Mr. Young was previously on the boards of Nuuvera Corp. and ICC Labs. We believe Mr. Young’s qualifications to serve as a director of our Company include his extensive senior-level executive management, and trading experience, in the Canadian and U.S. capital markets, as well as his experience serving on other public company boards of directors. -
Arlene Dickinson
Director
Ms. Dickinson has served as a director of the Company since 2021 and is a well-known entrepreneur and General Partner of District Ventures Capital, a venture capital fund focused on helping market, fund, and grow entrepreneurs and their companies in the food and health space. Dickinson is widely recognized for her role as a Dragon / Venture Capitalist for over 12 seasons on the multi-award-winning CBC television series, Dragons’ Den. Prior to joining the cast of Dragons’ Den, she served as the President and CEO of Venture Communications, a Calgary-based agency that became one of Canada’s largest independent marketing firms. She is a three-time best-selling author, podcaster, and accomplished public speaker and sits on several public and private boards. Ms. Dickinson has won numerous awards, including Calgary Business Owner of the year, PROFIT Magazine’s Top 100 Women Business Owners, and Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100.