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Corporate executive takes buyout, starts Henrico doggie daycare

Posted at 10:25 AM, Jan 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-09 10:25:46-05

HENRICO, Va. — When Richmond-based MeadWestvaco through a massive 2015 merger became WestRock, Jeff Kellogg was left with a big question.

The 47-year-old, a vice president at MWV at the time, took a buyout that ended a 15-year career at the packaging firm.

“It was a ‘What do I do now?’ type of thing,” Kellogg said.

He went home to his family, including his black lab, Poe. His wife reminded him that he’d spent years fantasizing about the dog care industry, and this was his chance to chase that dream.

“I realized at that point I needed to control of my own destiny and become an entrepreneur,” he said.

So Kellogg opened Woofy Wellness, a dog care center in Sandston that – with the help of potential patents and an idea for franchising – he hopes will turn the traditional canine care business model on its head.

“I don’t want to sound like I want to be the next Bill Gates, because I don’t, but it’s a pretty cool opportunity to revolutionize the way something’s being done. We don’t want to lose sight of that as we build out,” Kellogg said.

Woofy Wellness offers an a la carte menu that includes a dog chauffeur service, grooming and spa treatment, training, veterinary service, and an off-leash daycare/boarding service.

Its Woofy Buses, a fleet of five school buses-turned-pet transporters, make six daily stops around the region, in Ashland, Mechanicsville, the Wyndham area and downtown, taking dogs to the Wellness Ranch, a 2-acre center at 5912 Lewis Road.

Continue reading on RichmondBizSense.com.

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