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Interim Executive Management

Destination Pet CMO

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Interim Executive Management - Acting CMO

For a period of six months, Gray Cat was contracted by Destination Pet as their Interim Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for 175 pet and vet centers across the country. Over the course of six months, Gray Cat accomplished the following:

     - Revamped the marketing team structure filling six (6) open positions in the first eight (8) weeks
     - Provided leadership to the team with focus on driving new customer acquisition and same store growth and overall assessment of the marketing structure
     - Created a detailed action plan to streamline and improve all marketing functions
     - Developed and set up a management system on ongoing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) metrics
     - Developed a merchandising business case and plan of action
•Developed the 2024 marketing budget
     - Conducted assessments of vendor partnerships to determine which partners should be included in the scope and scale of plans
     - Worked with operations to assist in project management for key initiatives and/or process improvements

Jennifer Strickland-Fowler 

CEO, Destination Pet

“It's rare to find a consultant who can make an immediate impact, yet John Matthews successfully does that! I had the pleasure of working with John at Destination Pet when we hired him to help us transition marketing and partner with operations to address specific challenges. I was impressed by his ability to quickly form relationships with our leadership team, quickly identify specific limitations to performance, and jump in to solve and eliminate those limitations. During a critical time for us, John helped stabilize the team and drive positive results, restructuring process and helping restructure the team. He has significant breadth and depth in marketing and operations and was an asset to us during a critical transition period.”

John Matthews, President & CEO, Gray Cat Enterprises, Inc.

John Matthews is the Founder and President of Gray Cat Enterprises, Inc. a Raleigh, NC-based management consulting company. Gray Cat specializes in strategic project management and consulting for multi-unit operations; interim executive management; and strategic planning. Mr. Matthews has over 30 years of senior-level executive experience in the retail industry, involving three dynamic multi-unit companies. Mr. Matthews experience includes President of Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches; Vice President of Marketing, Merchandising, Corporate Communications, Facilities and Real Estate for Clark Retail Enterprises/White Hen Pantry; and National Marketing Director at Little Caesar's Pizza! Pizza!