Q&A with Ken Wilks from Superior Farms Pet Provisions

Q: What encouraged you to join the pet industry? 

A: In 1990, our family became “bird people” with Max, our Scarlet Macaw. Two years later we found ourselves competing for room in our home with a total of 23 parrots and a multitude of other beloved creatures. At the time, it seemed like a no-brainer to open a full line pet store. 

Q: How does the overall pet industry compare today to when you first joined?

A: The largest overall change I have seen in the past 25 years is the consolidation in the number of pet stores in the United States. Competition is good, and it has really cleaned things up (sometimes literally) within the pet industry.  Yet, when mom & pop stores started closing due to competitive pressures from the rapid expansion of big box stores, it forced thousands of good, hardworking pet store owners to get out of the retail business (myself included). I expect another wave of change in the area of brick and mortar pet store consolidation soon due to the rapid increase of online pet product sales. 

Q: Which pet industry trends have caught your attention and how is Superior Farms Pet Provisions addressing them?

A: Increasingly, consumers want to know that their spending power has a positive impact in some way.  In response to this desire, we place QR codes on our products to reveal our natural sourcing. We also mention on our packaging we’re employee owned. Essentially, the stockholders we serve are ourselves. Employee ownership allows us to make responsible long-term investments like getting off the electrical grid with renewable energy, updating aging facilities to achieve zero-waste emissions and choosing to support thousands of family farms in lieu of centralized, more industrial farming.

Q: How is the company setting itself apart from competitors within the pet industry?

A: In addition to our commitment to the environment, we like to focus on innovation. Frankly, it’s no longer enough to be just “natural.” Consumers want the treats they purchase for their pet to support better health, too. We’re increasingly focused on developing treats that have a functional and/or nutritional benefit for dogs. For example, our newest chews called “Beauty Stix™” are 75 percent collagen, which has significant supplemental benefits in addition to being a good, fun chew.

Q: Who has been your biggest advocate and supporter?

A: Garth Merrick – founder of Merrick Pet Care, Inc – will always have a special place in my heart as an advocate and supporter. Throughout a period of six years, I learned from Garth that support is a two-way street; the more I supported Garth’s vision of goodness and devotion for his company, the more he advocated for me in my role as VP of Sales & Marketing. It was while working for Garth that I learned the important difference between “pursuing success” and allowing success to find us as the inevitable result of doing the right thing.