April 2007 / Issue 14
Chairman's Message
APPMA Goes for the Gold
By Kay Schwichtenberg
Chairman of the Board, APPMA
In today's world, a couple celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary is a bit of an anomaly. A business partnership or association that can stand this test of time would arguably fall into the same category. For this reason, among many others, it is with extreme pride that I write to you in my first Advisor "Message" as Chairman of APPMA with a "Save the Date" note about the coming Golden Anniversary of our Association in 2008.
Surviving a half century of changes in this industry has been no small feat. From our humble beginning in 1958, we began our journey with a mere 17 domestic manufacturing companies (virtually all of them from the northeast). These companies convened in New York, where they appointed a de facto President until they could get an organized election together. The first appointed president was Harold Nestler of Wil-Nes Mfg. Co. in the Bronx. Shortly thereafter they held their first election and Allan Levey, then of the Wardley Company, was elected president (Allan currently serves on the Board of APPMA representing Hartz Mountain Group).
Fast forward 50 years and we have grown to an international association representing nearly 1,000 companies world wide and, together with PIDA, host the world's largest annual pet products trade show! And speaking of trade shows, if the buyer and media attendance at the 2007 Global Pet Expo in Orlando was any indication, interest in our industry is most definitely at an all time high.
I'd like to step back to 1958 for one more glimpse at how far we have come. A "Colt" was simply an NFL Champion, the most celebrated dogs were worn on skirts and something that Elvis sang about, and the only bird catching the attention of the media was the newly released "Thunderbird" car. Now I'm certainly not suggesting our country loved its pets less 50 years ago than we do today, but we were not buying Gucci beds for man's best friend, designer clothing for Fido and Fluffy, and above all we were not spending billions of dollars a year on them. Pets are now regarded as important members of our family and we're anticipating that $40 billion dollars will be spent on our furry, finned and winged friends by the time APPMA reaches the big 5-0 in 2008.
As we approach this important milestone for our Association, I cannot help but wonder what the next 50 years will bring. I look forward to the coming years filled with innovation, new trends and ultimately what we all hope for… increased pet ownership and responsible pet ownership. We all play an integral role in making this happen. Stay tuned for more information on our coming celebration. I look forward to serving as your Chairman and welcome any opportunity to talk with each of you about the benefits of your membership in APPMA.