We do what’s right, deliver on commitments and own the outcomes of our actions. Each of our associates plays an active role in growing the business and finding solutions. Hear from some of our leaders from across the organization about why they are passionate about being a leader at PetSmart.
Learn more about our leadership!
The most important lessons I’ve carried with me in my career is to love what you do and find what’s fun about it. If you do that, you can be as happy and successful as you want—and I think it shows up in the product. The second is that greatness comes by doing little things consistently There’s no shortcut, it’s all the little things that add up to something big.
What I’ve found most inspiring about our business is the alignment that our team has around our mission, for the love for pets, and our desire to really make their lives better. It’s a legitimate driving source behind what we do. It’s not artificial or manufactured, it’s truly our DNA.
J.K.
Pet parent to Sammy & Stella
Chief Executive Officer
I was a customer long before I knew I’d be an associate. I had just gotten married and our first “child” was a golden retriever puppy and we used to spend a ton of time in the PetSmart—I called it the “the happiest place in retail”. I’ve been here 12 years and I still believe that!
Chris Walsh
Pet Parent to Molly
VP of Distribution
Passion for pets. When I interview a candidate, I ask some of the usual questions, but I always ask if they have any pets. If their face lights up as soon as they start talking about pets, then I know I have the right person for the job. That’s the number one thing, I can teach everything else but that passion for pets and for people is everything.
Julie Martin
Pet parent to Hulk, Joey, and Kona
TAP District Leader, Hawaii
First and foremost, a passion for the business which includes both pets and PetSmart. I also value someone who is curious, tenacious and can play big. Curious such that they want to understand the “why, tenacious so that they are not easily discouraged, and playing big is important, because we need to be able to influence across our organization.
Marisa Thompson
VP of Propriety Brands
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that when you build a team, you have to have diverse experiences and diverse perspectives. A team where everyone does the same thing really well, isn’t a good team—you’ll accomplish one thing really well, but you won’t accomplish the entirety of your objectives well. That diversity of a team is important to achieve great results.
Mike Sapp
Pet parent to Tiki
SVP, Merchandising
My leadership style is very collaborative. I try to show the team where we need to go from a strategic standpoint, then I like to stand back and encourage them to do the work. Let the real passion for the product come through and I’ll take the obstacles out of the way.
Paul Hunt
Pet parent to Molly, Piper, and Sadie
SVP, Sourcing & Product Development
I'm most excited when I can go into our stores and see the culmination of projects that we’ve been working on for many months. I love to talk to associates and pet parents about their thoughts and knowing all the hard work and team work that went into it!
Jim Persinger
Pet Parent to Zuri, Jupiter, and Cosmo
SVP, Merchandise Planning & Allocation
LP.SKU-c5.PARAGRAPH
