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Healthy Pet Announces Ted Mischaikov as Chief Executive Officer

FERNDALE, Wash. , June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthy Pet, the pet industry leader in sustainably sourced absorption substrates, has announced the appointment of Ted Mischaikov as chief executive officer (CEO) effective May 28, 2023.  The appointment of Mischaikov marks his return to the company as CEO, a position he held from 2011 to 2020. Upon Mischaikov's departure from Healthy Pet in 2020, he served as the executive chairman & CEO of the Primal Pet Group during a period of rapid growth and acquisition. "We welcome Ted back to the Healthy Pet team. Based on his extensive experience with our brands, production and his commitment to sustainability, we are confident he will drive growth and expand our industry-leading products, which enrich the lives of pets, their people and our planet," said Healthy Pet Director of Sales Kelly Rogers. A decisive leader with proven management success across multiple industries, Mischaikov will be responsible for the global growth of Healthy Pet in support of its parent company, J. Rettenmaier & Sons, a world leader in natural fiber technology for over 140 years. "JRS enjoys a strong relationship with Ted, and we are pleased he has returned to again lead Healthy Pet," said JRS Director of the Americas Nils Gersonde. Throughout his career in the pet industry, Mischaikov has demonstrated decisive leadership driving excellence in manufacturing, adoption of new technologies and the promotion of sustainability initiatives, making him a natural fit to lead Healthy Pet as it expands into new substrates, expands facilities and acquires strategic assets. "Healthy Pet is a future-focused company developing performance-based sustainable products, which consumers are demanding. The world wants 'healthier clean' products, and we have the technology and resources to deliver them. My objective is to work with our team and ownership to deepen and diversify our leadership in sustainable solutions for the global pet industry," said Mischaikov. Healthy Pet excels in manufacturing next generation, sustainably sourced products, including ökocat natural cat litter and carefresh responsibly rescued small animal bedding. ökocat creates plant-based, biodegradable litter that is cleaner and healthier for cats, families and their homes, while carefresh is the No. 1 brand of small pet bedding, made from scratch using 100% reclaimed natural fiber.
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Poised for Continued Growth, Healthy Pet Welcomes New Hires

FERNDALE, WASH. (June 9, 2022)  - Healthy Pet is proud to welcome several new employees to support rapid growth driven by overall unprecedented demand in the pet category and an increase in pet parents seeking sustainable product solutions.   Nicole Martin recently joined Healthy Pet in the newly created position of Sales Strategy Analyst. She brings with her over a decade of CPG experience and a well-rounded background in sales planning, forecasting and strategy implementation. She will be working remotely from her home in Connecticut. “Nicole is passionate about process improvement and leveraging data to identify business opportunities and drive revenue growth,” said Kelly Rogers, Director of Sales for Healthy Pet. “Nicole’s skills will help strengthen our team as we head into another phase of growth.”   Another recent addition is Michael Van Duisen to the Healthy Pet Supply Chain team in the Ferndale home office as the new Procurement Manager responsible for sourcing, purchasing and managing material and packaging for all Healthy Pet products. Michael brings with him several years of manufacturing and purchasing experience which will lead to improved efficiencies and sourcing needs as Healthy Pet continues to grow.  Cori Mager joined us this month in another newly created role of Purchasing Clerk, responsible for supporting the Procurement Manager and entire Supply Chain Team. Cori’s Business and Accounting education, along with experience in service related fields will be a great benefit to Healthy Pet  Katie Guiler was hired in April as an addition to the growing Customer Experience team. Katie is a recent graduate of Western Washington University and in her new role as a CX Associate will be processing sales orders, supporting the sales team and communicating with consumers about Healthy Pet products. Katie is already an asset to the CX team.  To help meet the demand of our products Healthy Pet has added an additional production shift at the Ferndale, WA facility. For the first time ever, we are now operating 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, leading to the need for Jeff Kelton, a recent addition as Production Shift Supervisor. Jeff comes to Healthy Pet from the seafood industry and has more than 30 years of experience in production facilities. We look forward to reaping the benefits of Jeff’s experience.   “As with many businesses, the past two years have been extremely challenging to recruit and retain employees," said Natalie Pacheco, Human Resource Manager at Healthy Pet. "We are honored to have these individuals join our Healthy Pet family. It is our ability to grow and continue to work well together, despite the many challenges that makes Healthy Pet so successful."  These valued new employees are an essential part of Healthy Pet's rapid company growth as we strive to meet the growing demand for sustainable pet products that meet today's discerning pet parent needs.
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ökocat Litter Launches in Pet Supplies Plus Locations Nationwide

FERNDALE, WASH. (March 1, 2022) – ökocat, the creator of next-generation natural cat litter, has announced it will now be sold at Pet Supplies Plus, the nation’s leading pet retail franchise. Every location across the country will carry ökocat’s Original Premium Clumping Wood Cat Litter when the brand officially launches in stores this month, with majority of locations also offering Less Mess Clumping Low-Tracking, Mini-Pellets Wood Cat Litter.  ökocat is a superior, natural litter that is cleaner and healthier for your cat, family and home. The litter is made entirely from sustainably sourced, responsibly rescued natural wood fiber, and it is 99% dust free. Using no artificial fragrance, synthetic chemicals, toxic dyes or GMO’s, ökocat litter stops odors before they start. “Pet Supplies Plus has been committed to helping pet owners best serve their pets since 1988,” said ökocat’s Consumer Communications Manager Leslie Ellis. “We are proud to work with one of the leading pet retailers in the country to bring ökocat litter to more homes across the United States.”  Pet Supplies Plus offers a wide array of natural pet foods and a variety of made-in-the-USA pet consumables, in addition to everyday products like toys, grooming and health care items and accessories for dogs, cats and pocket pets. Full-service grooming, self-serve pet wash stations and a bakery case are also available in-store at many locations. The retailer is committed to ensuring pet owners have everything they need to treat their pets as beloved family members, making a partnership with ökocat a natural fit. “We take great pride in the variety of quality products we offer pet parents nationwide and knew ökocat would be a strong addition,” shared Chris Rowland, Chief Executive Officer of Pet Supplies Plus. “We’ve seen a great shift in making healthier choices in the home, and adding ökocat’s litter to our aisles gives our neighbors a sustainable, clean and plant-based litter option.”  Visit Healthy-Pet.com/okocat for more information on ökocat products, as well as PetSuppliesPlus.com for details on the nearest Pet Supplies Plus location.   About ökocat® ökocat, a Healthy Pet® brand, is the next generation of natural cat litter. Made in the U.S. from sustainably sourced, responsibly rescued natural wood fiber without harmful chemicals, fragrance, dyes or GMOs. ökocat® is the U.S. version of the world’s number one natural litter, CAT’S BEST, sold primarily in Europe. Due to the brilliance of European engineering, ökocat provides outstanding odor control, easy-clean clumping, and is 99% dust free to provide a cleaner, healthier litter choice for the home. For more information, please visit healthy-pet.com/okocat or connect on Facebook or Instagram.   About Healthy Pet®:Healthy Pet®, a leader in the pet category, offers Best in Home™ pet bedding and litter made from sustainably sourced, responsibly rescued natural fiber. As an accredited member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), Healthy Pet utilizes materials such as cellulose fiber and natural wood from sustainable sources, free from harmful chemicals and other pollutants and have been doing it for over 35 years. Healthy Pet brands include the number one brand of small animal bedding, carefresh®, as well as CritterCare®, natural cat litters ökocat® and Simply Pine™ and Puppy Go Potty™ natural dog litter. For more information visit healthy-pet.com.   About Pet Supplies Plus:Your neighborhood Pet Supplies Plus has everything you need for your furry, scaly and feathery friends. Our shelves are stocked with the right products, including a wide selection of natural and made in the USA products. Easily find all their favorites at prices you love, whether you shop with us in store or online using free curbside pickup, same-day delivery or Autoship. To help keep your pets happy and healthy, pet prescriptions can be filled online and delivered directly to your door. As the nation’s largest independent pet store with over 600 locations in 39 states and counting, we make shopping local simple. For more information visit www.petsuppliesplus.com.   
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ökocat® Doubles Donations for Annual ökocause4paws Litter Donation Program

Animal shelter recipients to be nominated in the top 4 eco-friendly cities. FERNDALE, Wash., June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ökocat®, the next generation plant-based litter, announced the launch of its third annual ökocause4paws Litter Donation Program. The goals of this initiative are to promote cat adoption and to save the world one litter box at a time with 100% biodegradable, all-natural litter made from sustainably sourced, responsibly rescued wood and paper fiber, that's cleaner and healthier for your cat, family and home and better for our planet. From now through August 14, ökocat is calling all pet parents across the U.S. to vote for their favorite eco-friendly city on ökocat's website. Animal shelters will be selected in the four winning cities to receive a donation of 2,000 pounds of ökocat litter. As an added bonus, ökocat will provide a coupon for a free box of litter for each family who adopts from one of these participating shelters in the following 12 months. "We're excited to announce we are doubling our donation this year to provide an even greater community and environmental impact," said Leslie Ellis, Communications Manager at ökocat. "We have proudly donated more than 10,000 pounds of sustainable litter and supported more than 4,000 cat adoptions since we began the program three years ago." The 2020 program offers more ways for cat parents to win with fun photo contests and more. All voters will receive a $3 discount coupon and will be entered to win one of the following: Three lucky winners will receive gift cards to their favorite pet store for either $500, $250 or $100 1 winner will receive coupons for a free 2-month supply of ökocat litter 1 winner will have the opportunity to have their cat's portrait created by artist, Dino Nemec The 2019 ökocause4paws Litter Donation Program recipients included:  Gifford Cat Shelter in Boston, Mass. The Oregon Humane Society in Portland, Ore. Philly PAWS in Philadelphia, Pa. The Rescue House in San Diego, Calif. For more information about ökocat by Healthy Pet, and its unwavering commitment to cat health and care and corporate excellence through sustainability, please visit www.healthy-pet.com/okocat. Follow ökocat on Facebook or Instagram.
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Healthy Pet® Names New Chief Executive Officer

Healthy Pet® is very pleased to announce the appointment of August F. DeLuca in the position of CEO. “Since last fall we diligently sought out the best candidate to lead Healthy Pet into its next era of success.”, said retiring CEO Ted Mischaikov. “It took many months and a nationwide search which was more than worth the effort considering Augie’s experience, talent and excellent character.” In this role, Mr. DeLuca will be responsible for North American growth of all Healthy Pet products, and in collaboration with its parent company, J. Rettenmaier & Söhne, manufacturing for many markets overseas. Mr. Deluca will commence his new role as Chief Executive Officer for Healthy Pet in May 2020. Mr. Deluca comes to Healthy Pet with vast experience in driving growth through leadership, collaboration and innovation. Most recently, he held the position of President for Rock Ridge Stone of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he managed the vertically integrated manufacture through numerous growth and improvement initiatives over the last five years. He has held past roles of President, General Manager, Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Sales & Marketing within the CPG category, as well as several board and advisement positions. Deluca said, “I am very excited to join Healthy Pet. The company has strong brands, on trend products and a passionate team. I look forward to working with them to deliver the next phase of growth and development.”
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ökocat® Natural Litter Introduces New 100% Recyclable Packaging

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Bringing home your new small pet: best care tips for hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits & more

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