wall of dog collars

Top Dog: Breaking into the Corporate Pet Industry

By Editor
wall of dog collars
2016 was the start of a new chapter for 2 Hounds Design. The business’s founder, Alisha Navarro, started off the year searching for a larger facility and ended the year breaking ground on a new custom building measuring in at 20,000 square feet. And as the project was breaking ground, Alisha was breaking through barriers in the pet industry and changing the game for independent retailers in the pet space. 2 Hounds Facility

Connection is Key

Over 70% of the total buyer market in the pet industry is female. Despite making up the majority of consumers, women represent a very small percentage of the manufacturer’s market. Enter 2 Hounds Design. Alisha and the 2 Hounds Design team genuinely want to make a difference by making sure dogs and people alike enjoy their walks together, and saw a need to support independent retailers to do just that. She got to know store owners, learned about their pain points, and helped them better educate their customers by teaching them how to put on and use unique products like the Freedom No-Pull Harness. lola harness on dog

Hungry, Humble, and Smart

Behind the scenes, 2 Hounds Design was strengthening their core values. As the business grew, Alisha made sure she and her team remained “hungry, humble, and smart.” At the same time, 2 Hounds Design began to reshape their workflow using lean manufacturing principles. Alisha and her team began tweaking processes to see what worked and what didn’t, and made big improvements to the production processes that resulted in much faster shipping times. Sewing Machine

In the Spotlight

Between delivering superior customer experiences and continuously refining their processes, 2 Hounds Design became a force in the corporate pet space. As a result, Alisha was named 2016 Woman of the Year, Corporate Category for Women in the Pet Space. And, this was just the beginning. That same year, 2 Hounds Design placed on the Inc 5000 list as a fastest-growing company and was the runner up for the North Carolina Small Business of the Year Award. These three awards, combined with a new manufacturing space to call their own, cemented 2 Hounds Design’s presence in the pet industry. But, Alisha and 2 Hounds Design weren’t done yet. Fired up from their successful year, they doubled down on lean manufacturing and positioned a new set of leaders to make an impact in the pet industry. Check back soon to follow 2 Hounds Design on the next step of their journey.

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Comfort, Style, & Safety

Since 2003, 2 Hounds Design has been making quality products that dogs love wearing and people love using! We use Lean Manufacturing principles to drive continuous improvement in the areas of quality, comfort, and on time delivery.

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