These trends and more will be addressed by a carefully selected faculty including:

Craig Bundrant, is a Managing Partner, of Spitfire Global Inc. His years in the Pet Industry have given him expertise in many Pet categories including hard goods, animal bedding & watering, cat litter, dog biscuits & treats. He has launched or grown new brands (Boodah Velvet, Kennel-Aire, Tidy Cat, etc) and rejuvenated existing brands. He has introduced progressive Corporate and Captive Pet Brand programs to Grocery, Mass, Pet Chain and Pet Independents. As Vice President of Sales at Northdown Industries, Inc., he expanded sales in cross channel distribution by over $50 million, an increase of 266%. As President of Miracle Corporation, he created successful financial, marketing and manufacturing teams, then identified and negotiated with target acquisition candidates. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Kutztown University. Graduate studies were taken at West Chester University, Pennsylvania State University.

Phil Cooper is President of PINC (Pet Incorporated LLC). He has been in the Pet Industry for 43 years. He has enjoyed success at every level of business as a small and large Pet Retailer, Wholesale Pet Distributor Salesperson, Wholesale Distributor in Australia, Manufacturer, Manufacturers’ Rep and as a Consultant. He has built four international pet start-up companies. He has helped over 30 pet companies grow their ranges from small to substantial firms. Phil has been involved in all segment of the industry and has been affiliated with many major pet firms including: All Glass Aquarium, Aquarium Systems, Aspen Pet, Willinger Bros., Inc., Combe, Inc., Doggiduds, Kaytee, Farnam, Inoby’s, Hydor USA, Bamboo Pet and others. As a consultant, Phil has provided vital information to new start- up companies and saved many firms millions of dollars with sound advice. He has written and contributed to countless articles in most of the trade press. He has traveled the world meeting with Pet Industry leaders in manufacturing. He is a proud recipient of the PIJAC Gold Circle Award and has earned the title as a Pet Industry Expert in his field.

Adam Ertel’s current role is Executive Director, New Business and Brand Development, for CWIC (Chapman Walters Intercoastal Corporation). He is responsible for the development of the new Body Glove pet line recently featured on CNBC. I also consult for quite a few pet manufacturers. Previously, Adam has worked with Planet Products, the company whose pet division was responsible for licensed items in the pet industry such Sesame Street, Cesar Milan, Star Wars and more. He has also been a Merchandise Manager for Petco and a Divisional Merchandise Manager for the Sharper Image (including the pet category) and has run independent pet chains on the east coast.

Scott T. Fitzhugh has been with OurPet’s since 2002 and in the role of Vice President of Sales and Marketing since October of 2006. During his current tenure, OurPet’s gross revenue has increased over 300%. Previously, Mr. Fitzhugh had been in a sales capacity with several independent sales brokerage companies, representing a wide variety of known consumer brands. Mr. Fitzhugh received his BS in Business Management from the University of Toledo. OurPet's Company (OTCBB:OPCO) (www.ourpets.com), is a fast growing designer, developer, producer and marketer of accessory and consumable pet products.

Bob Fountain began his 30 year animal health industry career with Merck & Company's Merck AgVet Division (now Merial Ltd.) where he had responsibility for the Australian animal health business. Later he was responsible for international business development and was located at Merck AgVet's New Jersey, USA headquarters. He then moved to Pfizer Inc. with management responsibility for Pfizer's animal health business in Japan and Asia, based from Hong Kong. He then moved to Nairobi, Kenya and managed Pfizer's animal health business for Africa and Middle East business. His last assignment at Pfizer Animal Health was in New York as Vice President of Marketing for the USA business. He founded Fountain Agricounsel in 1992 and went into partnership with Dr. Duane Thurman as Fountain Agricounsel, LLC in 1996. He resides in Stonington, CT, USA. Bob has a B.A. Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. Degree from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He was on the rowing team that won the National Championships in 1967, 1968, and 1969. He represented the USA several times. He is an avid sailor and cruises to Maine every year. He also does photographic trips with National Geographic - with recent assignments in Alaska, Baja Mexico, and the Galpagos (2x).

Darlene Frudakis, a pioneer in the pet industry, has specialized in the development and invention of products devoted to enhancing and improving pet health. She was one of the first women to enter the previously male dominated pet product manufacturing industry, and her career successes and company achievements have been profiled in top pet industry trade publications.

Frudakis’ established role as an expert in pet product development has led to numerous news features in which she shares her knowledge with consumers, vets or retailers. Her senior pet health and nutrition message has resulted in both consumer and trade stories, including placement in national magazines such as Family Circle, on national and regional radio stations, and on internet-based radio and TV programs. Additionally, she has been quoted in articles written by the Associated Press and trade publications such as Pet Business/Pet Aisle Grocery Headquarters Pet Product News Veterinary Product News

Frudakis jumped into the pet product manufacturing arena in 1982 when she recognized a need for all natural, high-quality rawhide products for dogs. With the backing of her father and uncle, she developed Rawhide Brand Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of rawhide chews that began the trend of creating healthy rawhide chews that were chemical- and preservative-free, and made in the USA. Her company was one of the first to add flavoring to rawhide for dogs, and she redefined the product by inventing the Round Safety-Knot™ chew.

In 1991, she and her backers sold Rawhide Brand, Inc. to PetAg, Inc. which soon became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Milk Specialties. Coinciding with that sale, she joined PetAg as vice president of the rawhide division. She quickly advanced to vice president of sales and marketing, supporting all PetAg product categories. By 1995, she was named president and chief operating officer. Under her leadership, PetAg soon expanded its offerings to include the bird category by acquiring the Pink Parrot brand of bird toys and treats.

Her visionary leadership for the new product development team has helped introduce many new pet product inventions, from a new category of pet health and wellness supplements that deliver nutrients to pets through a palatable gel, to a line of senior pet care products positioning PetAg as the leaders in senior pet nutrition. Additionally, at PetAg she secured patents for Chunky Chews’ product Round-Safety Knot form, the application of glucosamine and all other nutraceuticals onto rawhide chews, and the marinade process of injecting nutrients and flavor into a rawhide chew.

In 1999, she purchased PetAg from Milk Specialties with business partners, George and Sallie Gill. Since Frudakis joined PetAg, the company has more than doubled revenues in the pet nutrition category. With new product developments and introductions, such as DogSlim weight management products and supplements, and DogSure and CatSure, the business will continue to thrive by doing what they do best – providing the highest quality health and wellness products to enhance and prolong the lives of pets worldwide.

Frudakis holds a degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Elmhurst College and currently lives in Marin County, California with her husband and her 14 year-old cat, Lucky. Her son, a futures trader and TV producer, lives in Chicago, IL while her daughter is a freshman at Chapman University in Orange, CA.

Founder and CEO of Camp Bow Wow, Heidi Ganahl dreamt up the idea for her wildly successful dog boarding and day camp business with her husband Bion in 1993. Despite the tragic loss of Bion in a flying accident shortly thereafter, she has established herself as a leader in the pet services industry, selling more than 200 franchises in the U.S. and Canada.

Heidi opened the first Camp Bow Wow location in Denver, CO, in 2000, and began franchising in 2003. She has not only grown her lifelong passion for dogs into a $40 million business, she has also honored her commitment to the well-being of dogs everywhere through her establishment of the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. In addition, she has also been the proud mom of her 14-year-old daughter, Tori, with another daughter Hollie, recently added to her pack with her husband Jason. She has two dogs Raider and Scout!

Over the course of her journey from novice business owner to impassioned entrepreneur, Heidi has inspired countless men and women with her stories and strategies for surviving loss, overcoming obstacles, and creating a high-impact career. She has addressed entrepreneurs, franchisors and franchisees, women in business, pet industry professionals, and groups interested in cause-based marketing.

Heidi’s message to the world is that accomplishment and success can mean hardship, but each step in the journey is one from which to learn, draw inspiration, and ultimately find reward.

In addition to being interviewed on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch last summer, Heidi has been featured on America Online, Business Week Online, CNN Money, and in Parenting, Entrepreneur, and Franchise Times, as well as in The New York Times, The Denver Post, The Rocky Mountain News, Ladies Who Launch, More Magazine, and Success. Camp Bow Wow was named to the Inc 500 for 2009, as one of the top 50 fastest growing women owned businesses in the US by Entrepreneur Magazine and the Top 50 Women Led Companies by the Women’s President’s Organization.

Dr. Martin Glinsky has been developing, formulating, manufacturing and marketing pet food and pet supplies for over 35 years. He started his own private label pet food manufacturing company in 1980 after receiving his Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois. He has been intimately involved with many of the premium, holistic and organic products currently on the market and is credited with developing the first dry pet food to utilize fresh ingredients. Dr. Glinsky has developed over 300 pet products, ranging from food and treats to supplements and remedies.

A partner in Chenango Valley Pet Foods, Inc., he currently functions as their VP of Technical Services. Dr. Glinsky also has his own company, Sedona Pet Products, Inc., where he develops and markets his own products, as well as operating his own international pet food and supplies consulting firm. He is one of the most respected individuals in the area of pet food and pet product development in the industry today.

Michael Johnson, VP of Marketing & Information for Chuck Latham Associates, has specialized in CPG Marketing and Category Management for fourteen years; he has spent the past five in the pet specialty channel. His key interests are consumer studies, business intelligence and trends.

Stan Latacha, Principal, LEaF, THE UN-AGENCY, has focused his 25 year career on building relationships between retailers and customers and between manufacturers and customers. As a result, he has achieved strong sales for both businesses. “It begins and ends with the customer.”

Stan has successfully branded several national retail chains and private label brands within the industry including, Petco, Ashley Furniture, OfficeMax, Sears, Kenmore, Diehard and CopyMax. For the past seven years, Stan has been involved in the pet industry. First, he headed marketing for Petco Animal Supply where he helped achieve comp store sales of 5 % per year and was the first in the industry to identify new competitive threats. Currently, Stan is working with a manufacturer helping both with the marketing and selling of products in the pet industry.

Stan’s expertise in retail marketing includes senior-level retail marketing positions with a diverse group of retail formats including pet, mass, hard goods, apparel and specialty stores. This expertise includes developing integrated multi-channel marketing, brand building, customer relationship marketing (CRM), eCommerce and in-store marketing programs. Additional expertise includes retail strategic planning, consumer insight, private label programs and retail analytics.

Steven Litt is a strategist with a knack for creating new products and growth strategies that deliver record results. His career began in Brand at P&G; he later had successful turns as a Senior Marketing Manager at Kimberly-Clark US and Director at Schering-Plough Canada, managing brands with over $1B in sales. After achieving growth for brands such as Scope, Kleenex, Huggies and Alberto VO5, and ever-keen for new challenges, he created a marketing-driven profit turnaround for the Royal Canadian Mint, and directed marketing-driven work to relaunch Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper in 1999, growing its circulation despite being vastly outspent by a competitor. A fan of consumer research and an effective trend spotter, he is also a professional research moderator, having managed studies in Canada, the US and Europe, including reviewing launch decisions, and recommending go-to-market strategies, for Eli Lilly and Pfizer prescription drugs. In 2003 he came to the Pet industry and has managed National Brands and Corporate Brands, and created new products, new brands and growth strategies for companies such as Kong, Arm & Hammer, Lixit, Mammoth Pet, Northdown and Nature’s Earth (Feline Pine). Steven holds a B.Sc. and an M.B.A. from Queen’s University.

DesireÉ Lynch is Publisher of BowTie, Inc.’s pet trade division; titles include Pet Product News International, Pet Styles News, Veterinary Practice News and Dogs In Review. Ms. Lynch is a 19-year veteran of the pet publishing industry. Her experience in the pet industry includes both consumer and trade publications. She is actively involved with pet industry organizations.

Andrew Messinger, the C.E.O of Vitakraft Sunseed, has been a pet industry executive for twenty five years. He joined Vitakraft USA, a subsidiary of Vitakraft Werke Wuehrmann and Sohn, in 1990. Vitakraft is the worldwide leader in bird and small animal nutrition. Previously, he spent five years as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at 8 IN 1 Pet Products and was a Project Manager at the Kline Group, a marketing consulting firm in Fairfield, New Jersey.
Andy has been a Director of the American Pet Products Association since 1990, serving as Chairman from 2005 to 2007. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

An entrepreneur for over 30 years, Vicki Lynne Morgan has a passion for helping small businesses sustain growth and profitability by leveraging their expertise with integrated consulting and strategic planning in core areas of strategic marketing, selling skills, customer experience management, and trade show/expo marketing. A life-long guerrilla marketer and sales professional, she has a wealth of knowledge gained from personal business experience in manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service.

In addition to private consulting, Vicki Lynne is a speaker and presenter at H. H. Backer trade shows, NAPPS, ABKA, National Speakers Association of New Jersey, American Small Business Development Centers, New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners, Women’s Business Center (WBC), National Association of Women Business Owners, chambers of commerce, business associations, and corporations. She is a counselor and teacher for the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers for which she writes programs and teaches professional education programs at many schools, including: William Paterson University, Raritan Valley and Bergen Community Colleges, The College of New Jersey. She serves on advisory boards for the Academic Marketing Department and SBDC at Raritan Valley Community College. Certifications include: Certification in Marketing & Sales sponsored by an ISO 9000 program, instructor for PSS-Professional Selling Skills, and Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. The first woman to own a manufacturers’ rep agency in the pet industry, Vicki Lynne Morgan is President of Califon Connection LLC, dba Russmor Marketing Group and Animal Brands Marketing, Sales Representation, and Consulting Agency.

After receiving a BS in Agriculture Economics from Texas A&M, Vince Palasota went to work for Pfizer Animal Health in 1989 and received an MBA in marketing and Finance from the University of Nebraska while going to school at night. His 5 year career with AgriLabs prepared him for his current position as CEO of Med Pharmex Animal Health. Vince is an entrepreneur, and an owner in four businesses in the Carrollton, Texas area. Growing businesses and working with young athletes has been his passion over the past 10 years. He and his business partners recently built a Christian orphanage in India for 450 children. Life lessons learned in a small town and in team sports were the foundation of his personal and business successes. Vince’s infectious personality and dynamic attitude on competing in a difficult economy has guided Med Pharmex as a leader in the generic animal health business.

Vince grew up in a small town in Texas (Mexia). He went to college at Texas A&M in hopes of making the Baseball team. When he was cut from the baseball team, he saw an ad in the school newspaper to try out for the 12th Man kamikaze kick-off team in 1986. With his never say die attitude, he defied many odds to become a three year member of the team.

Craig Rexford is vice president and publisher of Pet Business and its related publications, including Grooming Business, The Pet Aisle and The Pet Elite. Craig has been in publishing for more than 32 years and working in the pet industry for the last 24 years. He has been publisher of Pet Business for 15 years. He has appeared on several industry panels and presentations.

Lionel Reilly founded in 1983 Professional Veterinary Products (PVP), a distributor now owned by some 2000 veterinary practices. PVP's largest year enjoyed consolidated revenues of near $500 million. PVP was the first distributor to register with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Two years PVP was recognized as one of the top 25 best places to work in America. Dr. Reilly was named the midwest region Entrepreneur of the Year and has received numerous other business awards. He retired from PVP as President and CEO in early 2009 after 26 successful years in distribution.

Dr. Reilly received a BA in Chemistry & Zoology from Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, KS. He attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS, and received a BS degree in 1968 and awarded Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1970. He spent the next two years as Post Veterinarian at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA. From 1972 thru 1976 he was partner in six veterinarian companion animal practice in Lakewood, CO. From 1977 to mid-1982 he was Technical Services Veterinarian and Director of Pharmaceutical Operations for Burns-Biotec Laboratories (acquired by Schering-Plough) in Omaha, NE.

Rich Timpone, PhD is Director of Research and Strategy for Veterinary Pet Insurance. He is responsible for consumer, veterinary, and partnership analytics and the integration of this research for fact-based strategic planning throughout the company. His research has directed key business decisions including consumer branding and messaging, product development, and veterinary and corporate partnerships for the largest pet health insurer in the United States.
Before joining VPI Pet Insurance, Dr. Timpone served on the faculty of The Ohio State University where he taught and published extensively on individual behavior and research methodology. He left academia to develop and implement innovative tools for analyzing workforce and consumer behavior at Nationwide Insurance before joining VPI Pet Insurance.

Robert L. Vetere is president of the American Pet Product Association. As the Association’s chief spokesperson, he has written for publications including Pet Business and Pet Product News and appeared on such television shows as CNBC, CNNFN World News Tonight. He has been quoted in various publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.

Before joining APPA, Bob served as senior vice president, administration, general counsel and secretary at Oil-Dri Corporation of America, a publicly traded $175 million international developer, manufacturer and marketer of brand name and private label products for pets, fluids purification and agriculture. Prior to his position at Oil-Dri, Bob spent 25 years at First Brands Corporation, a $1.2 billion publicly traded manufacturer and marketer of consumer products, including GLAD Wrap and Bags, Prestone Anti-Freeze, Scoop Away and Jonny Cat Pet Litter.

Bob earned a Juris Doctor from Seton Hall School of Law, an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.S. in Management Science, also from R.P.I. He is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association and the American Society of Association Executives.