Nov 13, 2012

Stephanie Volo, Planet Dog’s Top Dog, Is Named One of Ten People Shaping the Future of Maine’s Economy

Planet Dog is proud to announce that Stephanie Volo, it’s Top Dog and President, has been named to the 2012 Mainebiz Next List as one of Maine’s most innovative and inspiring business leaders. The annual recognition by Maine’s leading business publication identifies ten people shaping the future of Maine’s economy.

Under Volo’s leadership, Planet Dog has evolved into an award-winning, globally recognized and socially responsible pet industry leader that has stayed true to its founding mission. Since day one 15 years ago, the company’s goal has been to enhance the lifestyle dog lovers share with their canine companions while giving back and helping dogs and people in need.

She has accomplished this by supporting the local community, providing a progressive and family-friendly work environment, creating an array of non-toxic, durable and recyclable products that produce virtually no waste; providing financial resources to those in need; and educating consumers about canine-related issues.

As Planet Dog’s fearless leader, Volo leads her team through strategic planning, budgeting, daily operations and management, marketing and sales, product design and development, and overall team evolution. She has grown the company from 3 pack members and 5 canine product testers to 25 pack members and 22 canine product testers. Planet Dog offers 350+ products in over 8,000 stores worldwide and has more than 30,000 retail customers.

In addition, Volo has successfully established and grown Planet Dog’s Premium accounts including the longtime partnerships she has spearheaded with iconic brands in Maine and beyond like L.L.Bean and Life is Good.

Planet Dog has been deeply engaged in their community since the beginning, collaborating on a number of vital projects with Volo playing an instrumental role in developing relationships with like-minded organizations.

By partnering with the Trust For Public Land (TPL), Portland Trails, the Bayside Neighborhood Association, the East Bayside Neighborhood and Bangor Savings Bank, Planet Dog helped create the Bayside Trail, which has transformed Portland’s Bayside neighborhood, a former industrial area, into a livable, walkable and vibrant urban greenway. <>Planet Dog is helping to preserve local romplands and create new green space by donating $101,000 to support the Bayside Project as well as 101 dogwood trees her team planted along the new Bayside Trail. Volo was also an active member of a task-force that fought to bring an animal welfare license plate to Maine.

She also oversees the popular Planet Dog Company Store in Portland, Maine which just received a Community Hero Award from Portland Buy Local. The highly coveted annual Indie Biz Award recognizes leaders among Portland’s vibrant independent business community and showcases the impact that they have on Greater Portland and the state of Maine.

Volo has led her team to several other high accolades such as the Small Business of the Year Award from the Portland Development Council, the Maine Governor’s Award for Business Excellence, Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work Award, Fast Company magazine’s Champion of Innovation Award and countless product design and innovation awards throughout the pet industry.

Planet Dog is well known for creating “the best dog ball on the planet” out of their signature recyclable and non-toxic Orbee-Tuff® material. The Orbee Ball was the springboard for Planet Dog’s reputation as a strong proponent of responsible manufacturing and product safety. All of Planet Dog’s Orbee-Tuff products are made in the USA and like all of their products, they are 100% guaranteed.

Volo attributes the success and recognition the company has received to their philanthropic efforts and her committed team. “We’re constantly evolving while staying mission-driven thanks to our very loyal, very driven ‘pack members.'” “It is an easy team to lead because of their passion for what we do and I am extremely thankful for their dedication to me and Planet Dog,” adds Volo.

2% of the sales from Planet Dog’s award-winning products is donated to the Planet Dog Foundation (PDF), Planet Dog’s non-profit grantmaking organization, to support canine service programs nationwide. PDF provides cash grants to programs in Maine and beyond that train, place and support dogs who help people in need. Since January 2006, PDF has given away more than $875,000 in cash grants and in-kind product donations. For more information and a full list of programs and grantees, please visit http://www.planetdogfoundation.org.