(Photo courtesy of Bend Pet Express)
Building a better community, begins with fostering that idea from a solid foundation.For Julie Hunter, owner of Bend Pet Express, this starts with her staff. “Everything she puts into her business, she puts into the community,” says Kim McCohan, chief happiness officer at Bend Pet Express. “Julie is so compassionate, and you can see that right down to her employees. When you want to do something to better yourself, she is behind you 100 percent.”
A Bend built brand, Hunter has owned the only local Premium Pet Food store for 23 years and supports numerous local events like the July 4th Pet Parade, Central Oregon Pride and the pet food bank, HOPE. She donates not only food but the space to run the program, a costly but invaluable task.
Her devotion doesn’t just stop at animal initiatives, she is a strong proponent for a livable wage and all full time employees receive health, dental and vision benefits. “She will even pay for us to exercise,” McCohan chimes in. “We work retail, without the retail wage.”
Creating a fun instore environment, full of knowledgeable and well trained staff can be hard to do when many small businesses are tightening budgets. “What sets us apart is that Julie makes sure all of her staff are extremely well trained on the nutritional value of the gourmet products we carry. We have a 90 day training period, so that employees can send home a customer with the right diet for their beloved pet,” McCohen states. “It’s that, and the attention to service we give that sets us apart.”
Having begun from her garage in the late ’70s, Hunter began by wanting better food for her dog. So she went straight to the distributor. Within three months, she was operating out of a warehouse, determined to distribute both the best product and the best customer service to Bendites.
“I’ve gone from being a dog washer to finding my passion and that growth is all due to Julie,”McCohen says. “We have a great retail environment so our customers leave knowing they bought the best for their pet. Better yet, every dollar that is spent in our store is allowing our staff to contribute back into the community. It’s allowing us to retire here. That’s the power of local.”
McCohen is excited to announce the extension of their notorious customer service with an online retail store in the works. She hopes to make buying at Bend Pet Express even easier by the end of the year, with shipping as widespread as La Pine and Madras.
As a woman owned business, Bend Pet Express is surpassing expectations in the retail market, for both the community, its customers and its staff. It rings true with McCohens statement, “I LOVE my Mondays. Who else can say that?”
Bend Pet Express – West
133 SW Century Dr., Ste. 301
Bend OR 97701
541-389-4620
www.bendpetexpress.com
