Happy 10th Birthday RAWZ!!!!
The flip of the calendar to March means that it’s time for Global Pet Expo presented annually by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA). Global, held each March in Orlando, FL “is the pet industry’s premier event featuring the newest, most innovative pet products on the market today.” While I don’t attend every trade show where RAWZ exhibits, I’ll never forget the 2015 edition of Global where our minimally staffed RAWZ team began our mission to improve the lives of people and pets!
Although I’ve attended countless trade shows over the years where I wandered expo centers collecting cool swag, probably annoying my hard-working parents, and even eating the occasional biscuit when prompted by Grampy; Global was my first employed in the industry. It must have felt like a scene from Bill Murrays Groundhog Day for my parents to be setting up for yet another show, and while I can only speak for myself, the mix of nervousness and excitement had me feeling as I did on the eve of a big hockey game or walking up to the first tee.
I’d been fortunate to be a part of the RAWZ journey from the beginning so felt pretty comfortable with the product line and passionate about our 100% cause-based raison d’être, but this was uncharted territory for me along with our entire team. We had a fairly small product line with a reserved distribution strategy and limited bandwidth. Having no outside investors or existing revenue meant we weren’t launching alongside a big marketing campaign. In fact, RAWZ hadn’t gotten the traditional booth on the convention center’s floor, rather scheduled meetings with show attendees to introduce ourselves in a hotel meeting room.
I can only imagine the thoughts going through the retailer and distributor representatives’ minds as they walked away from the main show floor to a nearby conference room. With over a thousand different exhibitors at 3 three thousand booths, what could possibly warrant a trip away from the center of the action? I can’t say whether after our hour or so meeting that attendees were satisfied, but enough interest resulted that the RAWZ journey began. How grateful we are to have pet parents and an amazing group of retailers join us on this amazing journey!
It has been a blessing in my life to be part of a company going from zero existing revenue with no products offered to who we are today; a committed team with a robust product line that’s given over $3.7 million dollars to improving lives over the last ten years. On my own journey building a “New Life After Brain Injury”, working alongside the RAWZ team with such amazing RAWZ Fund partners and pet parents is a beautiful part of that New Life! My name isn’t Nostradamus, but the possibilities of the next decade leave me filled with excitement! Learn more about our line of minimally processed nutrition options for cats and dogs here; or better yet locate your nearest RAWZ retail partner…