 |
|
Rod’s Pawz, Inc. Owners: Nini Casey Town: Newmarket Phone: 603-659-1070 Web address: www.rodspawz.com By: Colleen Lent Thirteen-year-old Rodney Casey of Newmarket was everyone’s buddy and a true gentleman. He volunteered as a bocce ball coach, providing encouragement to both teams by running up and down the field after each throw. He listened attentively as guests talked about everything from property values to chocolate chip cookie recipes. He opened presents with the zeal of a youngster receiving their first gold star at school. When Rodney died in his mother’s arms in 2001, hearts were heavy, as a family member and friend was gone. Yet, Rodney’s spirit lives on through a new home-based business, Rod’s Pawz, launched by his parents, Nini and Michael Casey, in August 2003. “I call Rodney my director of inspiration,” Nini Casey says. Company Web site photos of the “director” reveal that the Casey’s first born doesn’t bear a striking resemblance to his fair-skinned parents, as he has four paws, tufts of black fur, and the profile of a Black Labrador and Rotweiller dog. Memories of Rodney and entrepreneurial inspiration from a relative became the main ingredients in the baking of a fresh idea – the sale of homemade organic dog treats. Upon returning from a craft fair, Casey’s mother approached her daughter with a new career idea – making and selling dog biscuits. “I didn’t dismiss it,” Casey says. “I really mulled it over.” At the time, Casey was taking a break after 10 years as a sales professional to raise her daughters Erin and Kelly, now 5 and 2. Soon she found herself caring for the girls by day and researching her mother’s idea via the Internet by night. A host of questions cropped up. Was there much competition? Could an additive-free recipe be the remedy for the negative side effects Rodney experienced after eating dog treats? How could the product line be expanded? What local groups or businesses could benefit from the new business? Casey says Rodney suffered from a chronic skin disorder, resulting in several vet visits to test for everything, ranging from thyroid to autoimmune conditions. It was finally determined that the beef byproducts and additives in the store-bought dog treats were causing an allergic reaction. “I always had that in the back of my mind,” Casey says. Thus, she donned her Julia Child apron and grabbed a mixing bowl, experimenting with natural ingredients, including organic garlic, rolled oats, soy flour, dried milk, and cage-free eggs. Neighborhood noses were twitching and tails were wagging. Before long, Casey started noticing volunteer taste testers – Bella and Addy, chocolate Labradors, and Bridgette and Oliver, Pugs -- lining up for samples outside her home. Spencer, the Casey’s 18-month-old black Labrador, insisted on first dibs. “They could smell the treats,” Casey says. “They instinctively know, even in the winter, when I’m baking.” With the recipe dog approved, Casey began thinking about synergistic products. Pigment-dyed and paw-printed cotton caps and shirts and dog-bone-shaped wicker baskets packed with triangle bandanas, Frisbees, lamb and rice rawhide toys, chew-tough tennis balls, and seasonal toys tied with festive ribbons were added to the product list. “I started having fun, which is the mantra of my business,” Casey says. Graphic designer and friend Glenn Reid of Reid Illustration & Design of Wakefield, Mass. sketched the sale items for future marketing initiatives, incorporating a paw-print logo designed by Casey’s sister. “Animals to me are fun, good, and wholesome,” Casey says. She and her husband decided digital photos wouldn’t capture the essence of Rod’s Pawz. “He nailed it the first run,” Casey adds, referring to Reid. Michael Casey, an engineer at Lucent Technologies, used the illustrations when developing the company’s Web site. “I tease him, saying he’s my CTO (chief technical officer) and CFO (chief financial officer),” Casey says. “It’s a husband and wife team. It’s a family affair,” she says, adding that their daughters enjoy helping Mom as she rolls out the doggie dough. As a parent and long-time dog owner, Casey says dogs are much like children. On one hand, they can drive one crazy, as they prefer chomping and stomping on household items to their toys. On the other hand, they bring a smile to one’s face, as they sidle up to give a parent unsolicited cuddling. Spencer, who is fond of chewing on the Casey’s rhododendron bushes, is no exception. However, many owners give up easily, and the mischievous dog becomes one of thousands of unwanted or abandoned pets in the state, a problem the SPCA in Stratham is trying to combat with education programs. Rod’s Pawz sells dog treats through the SPCA and also donates a portion of proceeds to the non-profit organization to help fund its initiatives. Casey says local elementary schools are grappling with a similar situation – they have great programs slated for children, but need a financial boost through fund-raisers to implement them. Thus, Rod’s Pawz is also targeting parent-teacher-organizations as distributors. As a home-based business, overhead costs are minimal, allowing it to offer a competitive wholesale price to the SPCA and Granite State schools. Casey says selling the homemade dogs treats and packages of mix with dog-bone shaped cookie cutters provides a new facet to traditional school bake sales and silent auctions. “I want the fund-raising efforts to be fun for the kids,” she says. Casey anticipates some fund-raisers and retail orders totaling 100 to 500 cookies per customer, depending on the time of year. Currently, with the assistance of a new seven-rack convection oven, she’s fulfilling regular orders for the SPCA, Valerio’s Kitchen in Stratham, and individual Web site and phone customers. However, with expected growth from participation in trade shows, local networking, and New Hampshire Stories membership, Casey is looking to subcontract the baking function to a local bakery or resident. She says the cooperative effort will provide time for her family and new account cultivation. As Casey juggles parenting and managing a small business, she says Rodney is never forgotten – even during the busiest of times. His gentle spirit is sewn in every bandana and baked in every dog treat. “This way I keep him with me on a daily basis,” Casey says. ### |
