EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH EMANUELE BIANCHI, FOUNDER OF PET EGO, 12/2007
1.) How long have you been in the pet product industry? I started designing and manufacturing pet products during the year 2000.
2.) When was PetEgo founded? US operations started in July 2004.
3.) How many employees does PetEgo have? Our US operations consists of 5 people. Our Italian sister company has over 30 people and a sales force of 42 area sales managers covering a large part of Europe.
4.) Is your company growing? If so, how fast? We are growing at around the 40% a year in the US and about 30% in Europe.
5.) Your Sport Trike pet stroller is one of the most fashionable and best selling products in the industry. How did you come up with the design? I always design products that stand out from the crowd and are cutting edge. Some people find the idea of a jogger for pets crazy but to me it's perfectly logical. If you have a pet and you are a runner, then you need to have an adequate instrument that you can push you pet in for miles in both safety and comfort. All of the pet strollers on the market when we first came up with the idea for our Sport Trike were made with low cost wheels and weak frames. So I designed a product that would suit the needs of a real jogger and their pet.
6.) Are you planning on releasing any more pet strollers or trailers in 2008? Yes, one is called Quadro and the other is called the City Trike Pet Stroller. We plan on having them ready for the next Global Pet Expo or the Spring Pet Products Show.
7.) How many pet strollers or trailers do you sell a year? Is the number growing? Several hundred pet stroller and bike trailers per year and yes, the number we are selling is growing constantly.
8.) Has the PetEgo Sport Trike or Sport Wagon been mentioned in any magazines or won any awards? I won the 2006 Designer Award at the Home and Houseware International Trade show in Chicago. I couldn’t believe that our pet stroller won over some of the other products designed by big name designers (like Alessi for instance). Our Sport Trike Stroller was displayed the whole last day of the show at the entrance of the convention centre. I have also received several "Innovative Design" awards during last several years in Hollan, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Italy.
9.) What kind of pet (or pets) do you have now? Before moving to the US in Jan 2006 I always had several white Italian shepherds, Pastore Maremmano. I also always had at least one “Spitz” Samoiedo or Alaskan Malamute. Over the Christman holidays I will move into my new town home in downtown Chicago and will probably go with a smaller breed. I love the miniature Maltese.
10.) Some pet enthusiasts tend to have a negative reaction the first time they see a pet stroller or trailer. What would you say to these people? I'd tell them to open their minds. People do not believe wheel chairs are a bad thing. And people don't make their childen run behind them when they go for a run since this would put their child at risk of being hit by a car. They put their children in a bike trailer or stroller and once they get to the beach, the park or any other safe area they play with them and give them the proper physical activity that they need. It shouldn't be any different with a pet.
11.) Why should someone buy the PetEgo Sport Trike Stroller or Sport Wagon? Becaue we make the best pet stroller and bike trailor on the market.
12.) What do you do to ensure the Sport Trike Stroller and Sport Wagon quality and safety? Our pet stroller and bike trailers are designed an tested using the same quality controls as conventional baby strollers and bike trailers.
14.) Where do you see PetEgo in five years? Standing out from the crowd together with other pet product suppliers that consider quality and design one of the main factor for success.
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