𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺
Jason Malley didn’t expect to take over his parent’s Pet Valu store. Back in June 1988, his mother and father opened the seventh or eighth franchise in Pet Valu’s 48 year history (most other Pet Valu locations were corporate stores at the time), he explains. This was around the time Jason was heading off to college, and his plan was to become a police officer. But then, a few years after his parents opened their Kingston, ON location, they needed a little extra help. “They were working a lot of hours, probably 70 or 80 hours a week at that time, they didn't have a lot of staff, and they asked if I wanted to come back and manage the store for them. And so I did that, probably around 1993 or 1994. And then I managed the store for many, many years, looked after the ordering of the products, alongside my mom and dad.” Fast forward to 2009, and Jason and his wife still loved the Pet Valu experience and decided to purchase the store from his parents. Since then, they’ve opened four other Pet Valu locations throughout the Kingston area. “It's not a traditional retail job, where you're standing behind the counter or you're just putting stock out,” Jason says, explaining why he chose to become a Pet Valu owner himself. “People like their pets. They're generally in a very good mood when they come in here. They like to share stories. They share the good stories, and of course some of the heartbreak that comes along with owning a pet. And the staff really appreciate and get a sense of worth when they can help somebody manage a problem that they are having with their pet, and then that customer comes back and says, ‘Wow, you really helped me out.’”
“Pet Valu has a formalized training process and came up with Animal Care Expert training, which is a series of videos, question and answer…and the library of training that we receive, as well as the volume of courses we receive, has grown to many, many different topics. And I think it's something that truly sets us apart,” says Jason. “It's something that all of my staff have to do. They look forward to doing it. They're quite proud, actually, when they complete the training and get their Animal Care Expert designation.” Jason says he and his staff value the ACE training so much because it helps them provide an advanced level of care and service that also enhances the emotional connection with their customers. “We're dealing with a member of someone's family, and we want to make sure that we can provide good advice to those people, because obviously their pet is very important to them. And part of providing good advice is having the knowledge to dispense that advice and not guessing. So the foundation that we get with the Pet Valu Animal Care Expert training is instrumental, and we're very lucky to have it.” Embracing a deep investment and care for the pet families they serve is an approach Jason learned from his father. “He instilled in me that there's a lot of responsibility that comes with giving people advice for their pets,” he says. “And so there was an emotional connection in our business that we could make if we put the effort in with our customers.”
Another key responsibility that Jason strongly believes in is giving back to his community through volunteer and fundraising programs that are part of Pet Valu’s Companions for Change™ program. Companions for Change has raised over $31 million CAD, for causes that benefit pets and pet parents in need in their local communities, as well as across Canada, since 2011. Through amazing pet organizations coast-to-coast the program has also helped more than 48,000 pets find their forever homes. “One of the biggest things that I think customers appreciate, is probably the amount of fundraising we do for pet related causes, both locally and nationally. It's something that I am very, very passionate about,” Jason explains. Ultimately, this love of pets and of community is what has inspired Jason’s family to open multiple additional Pet Valu locations. “My wife and I wouldn't own the five stores if it was simply a financial investment. The reason that we like owning the five stores is because this business is fun. It is nice to make an impact. We can make a bigger impact in our community when we have more stores. It’s the type of business that lends itself to wanting to do more and have more stores under our family umbrella.”
Why do Pet Valu staff become Animal Care Experts? It’s all for the love of pets, of course
The story of how a love of pets and community inspired two generations of a family to become Animal Care Experts in and around the Halifax, Nova Scotia region.
