COMPANY BACKGROUND

Purr-Fect Growlings, Inc. is a pet and pet-related gift and consulting company located in Los Angeles, CA. It is a certified Small Business MBE/WBE corporation which provides products to the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) K-9 Unit.

Purr-Fect Growlings produces doggie tee-shirts, bandannas, and toys; plus catnip toys for the souvenir gift market. Marketing research has found that pets are very dear to their owners and are treated as family. Understanding this fact, Suzanne Isabelle Simmons founded the company in 1987 with the development of a California shaped dog biscuit.

Suzanne Isabelle Simmons, founder

Suzanne was reared in Akron, Ohio where she worked in her family’s catering company. Although she enjoyed that business, she began to eye other business avenues while teaching in California elementary schools. After pet sitting for a friend’s two cats Suzanne discovered a niche she decided to fulfill.

The friend, an airline employee, would travel across country to Boston or New York City and return with three or four cans of cat food for her cats. This seemed odd to Suzanne who thought that the canned cat food could be bought at local groceries. The friend explained that she felt guilty having to leave her cats and this was a way to relieve the guilt. After thinking of this scenario Suzanne thought that she would bring back something for her dog, Coco, if she could find a gift during her travels. Unfortunately, there were none or very few pet souvenirs available.

Thinking this would be a feasible business, Suzanne conducted a survey at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), The Farmer’s Market, a veterinarian shop, pet shop, and shopping mall. Of course, to her delight the idea proved feasible as many people interviewed expressed the desire to purchase gifts for their pets or friend’s pets while on vacation.

Having secured this information, Suzanne attended the University of Southern California (USC) Entrepreneur Program to position herself for a great business. She thought for sometime on a name and decided on Purr-Fect Growlings as it spoke of cats and dogs. The company established itself in 1987 as a sole-proprietorship with its initial products of California shaped doggie biscuits and catnip toys. Eventually the company eliminated the California shaped dog biscuit opting for a heart shaped biscuit, then a bandanna, and eventually doggie tees. 

So that the company could grow respectably Suzanne incorporated the company in 2001 and it became Purr-Fect Growlings, Inc. As the pet industry has grown world-wide, the company visions expansion to all continents.

Board of Directors

Rosa Hill, community philanthropist, board member of Broadway Federal National Bank, former board member of Bennett College, Greensboro, NC

Eric Howe, Religious Science Practitioner, civil engineer

Melvin M. Moore, PhD., clinical psychologist, executive director of Secure Transitions, Inc. (a Foster Family Treatment Agency)

Suzanne Simmons, founder of Purr-Fect Growlings, Inc., educator, securities broker, proposal writer, consultant, community activist