ABKA :: Featured Member

The following member profile is from the latest issue of the Pet Services Journal:

After 20 years in department and specialty store management, Greg Bleakley needed a change–less stress, more freedom, no superiors. He’d always struggled with interactions among colleagues and bosses. He was never great at multi-tasking either. Growing up, Bleakley knew that “something wasn’t quite right,” but back then no one really knew about ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). When he was diagnosed at age 40, it all became clear. Now, at 51, he revels in the lifestyle and work environment that he and his wife Rebecca have created for themselves with Four Seasons Pet Resort’s two locations. (The second just opened in February 2005.) “When you’re your own boss, you set your own pace,” he explains.

Rebecca actually came up with the idea to bag everything they had in Maryland and search for a boarding facility to buy. They started looking in August of 1994, but by October the travel demands of the search became too great, so Bleakley quit his job. He looked all over the South before settling on a facility in Hull, Georgia. They signed the purchase agreement in December 1994 and opened for business Valentine’s Day 1995, becoming the kennel’s third owners.

“We basically quit our jobs, sold our house, pulled the kids out of school, and like the Beverly Hillbillies, we loaded everything up and moved down to Athens, Georgia, and began our business,” says Bleakley, somewhat bemused with his own daring. “It was quite an interesting thing. People told me I was crazy. I guess it was a risky thing to do, but it worked out great.”

The five-acre site houses two concrete-block buildings, with concrete floors, metal roofing and Mason Company chain-link enclosures. The Bleakleys updated the 30-year-old facility by covering the outdoor parts of their 50 indoor-outdoor runs to protect dogs from both sun and rain. They also added nature trails and three playgrounds. Each playground features a different surface – dirt, grass and gravel. “Depending on the time of year, we use different playgrounds,” he explains.

In 2002, they put in a $30,000, 10,000-gallon, heated, in-ground, bone-shaped swimming pool, which generates income in two different ways. First, of course, is income from swimming fees, Bleakley says, “but also, people come to us for other services because of what a pool does for our image. Their dog may not even swim, but people do come to us because of what having a pool says about us. Image is critical. The upscale image we strive for is that we offer things others don’t.”

In 1998, Four Seasons got a new large sunroom reception area that gives clients a great first impression, one of warmth and openness. Other upgrades in the 4,000-square-foot facility include bumping electrical service to 200 amps.

For cleaning purposes, runs slope to a main gutter, which drains into a septic tank. Staff use Spartan HDQ neutral daily and bleach once a week to kill algae and control odor. Bleakley stresses the importance of vigilance with sanitation. “It’s so important that people walk into the lobby and smell clean,” he says. “We put a lot of time, a lot of emphasis on cleaning, disinfecting, dusting, vacuuming, sweeping.”

Four Seasons requires proof of vaccinations, including rabies, DHLP and kennel cough (done within the last six months). All pets are checked for fleas and dipped if any are found. These rules are “very strict,” Bleakley says, “no exceptions.”

Facility staff feed boarders either Bil-Jac or food provided by the owners twice a day. They’ll administer medications, including insulin shots, for a very small fee.

Four Seasons requires reservations. No deposit is required, except during holiday period, when it asks for a $25 non-refundable deposit. Staff consciously overbook during busy times, anticipating cancellations. When asked if that’s ever gotten them into trouble, Bleakley replies, “Never. Believe it or not. This year for Christmas we really overbooked, and I thought, ‘I hope we don’t regret this,’ and we ended up having an empty run. People change their minds. Things happen. They cancel their plans.”

Four Seasons also sells toys, treats, Bach Flower Essences, Bil-Jac dog food, bedding, Frontline and Advantage, biscuits made at a local bakery as well as leashes and collars.

Rebecca provided grooming services at first, but when she developed symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, she had to give it up. The Hull facility now just offers baths and dips, but the new eight-acre facility in Winterville will offer full service grooming.

Since 1995, zoning has been the biggest headache. The Hull facility is zoned residential but has been grandfathered in. That precludes any expansion. Bleakley has tried to get a zoning variance to allow growth, but neighbors opposed it. This restriction led, in part, to the decision to build a second location in Winterville—a more rural, less restrictive site.

Remarkably, there were no zoning regulations to deal with at the beginning of the Winterville project. However, new zoning restrictions went into effect in mid-January, but because the facility was already under construction, the project was protected by a grandfather clause. “We knew that zoning regs were coming, so we moved quickly in order to get under way before they took effect,” says Bleakley. “We overbuilt the Winterville site by 50 runs and twice the office/grooming space that we currently need because zoning regs state that whatever we build is all we can build.” Just as with the original Hull facility, the new zoning regulations restrict any future expansion to the Winterville site.

Up until very recently, Four Seasons had just one computer. Bleakley just added a second one at the original facility, and there will be a new one at the new facility in Winterville. The reason for the increase? “We’re in the process of converting records from hand-done to computer records, using Kennel Soft,” he explains. For the business’s finances, Four Seasons uses QuickBooks.

Managers and staff also use two-way radios to stay in constant contact. “Should we have an emergency,” Bleakley says, “no one is out there by themselves.”

There is also a security camera focused on the dog runs in both buildings so that staff can “keep a general eye on things, when no one is down there.” Bleakley purchased the two-camera system at Sam’s Club. It came with a monitoring station that’s kept in the front office.

Thanks to having the University of Georgia nearby, Four Seasons enjoys a ready pool of job applicants. “Good help is never a problem with 30,000 college students only 10 miles away,” Bleakley says.

Following reference checks and separate interviews with a manager and the owners, new employees shadow an experienced staff member and receive detailed, written instructions on cleaning protocols. Only the two owners, the manager and the assistant manager have any contact with customers in person or on the phone. “This assures that customers get accurate information,” Bleakley says. All others work behind the scenes to care for and serve the pets. That’s not to say, however, that managers and owners don’t get dirty working in the kennels.

“People that show an interest and talent move into manager trainee positions, then assistant manager, then manager of the facility,” he adds, referring to advancement opportunities.

Bleakley takes pride in the longevity of his staff. They’re shown both respect and camaraderie, but they’re also paid well above minimum wage and receive free snacks and beverages while on duty. “Our employees are the best paid people in this area,” he explains. “I don’t think there is another kennel or veterinary hospital nearby that pays better than we do. We don’t do it because we have a lot of money. We do it because we care about people, and we’re not afraid to share.”

Managers and assistant managers get commissions on retail sales. Full-time staff also receive medical benefits, paid vacations and salaried wages.

“We designed it that way,” Bleakley says. “We don’t want a kennel where we measure tenure in weeks or months. We measure tenure in years.”

That stability allows everyone to better focus on serving the customer. Bleakley points out, “It is a service business, and by the way, you serve customers by taking care of their dogs. There are probably kennel owners out there that are great with dogs, very experienced with dogs and cats, but they don’t have the experience with service and find the going rough.”

All those years working for Zales, the national jewelry chain, and Bon-Ton, a regional department store, taught Bleakley about service. “I grew up learning that’s how you conduct business. You take care of your customer,” he says. “We’ve carried those lessons over. I think that’s the main reason we’ve been as successful as we’ve been – the attitude toward the animals we care for and the people we serve.”

Using his degree in marketing and hers in merchandising, the Bleakleys run a marketing program by the seat of their pants. No budgets, just instinct and experience on what works and what doesn’t. For example, they no longer advertise in an area magazine because “it didn’t turn out to be productive.” They did, however, invest $3,000 in a new corporate logo of a butler holding an umbrella over a dog on a lounge chair. “In a small business,” Bleakley adds, “that’s a lot of money.”

Four Seasons also puts up billboards during the slower times of year – March, April, May – when the facility is “never full but never sparse.” It also does unique and interesting radio ads. One featured a Four Seasons song to the tune of “Gilligan’s Island.” Another played on the popularity of the TV show “Survivor.”

One marketing decision came early on, and that was to change the facility’s name, which was originally known as Pat’s Pampered Pets, then as Four Seasons Pet Care. “Pet Care” sounded too much like a veterinary hospital, so the Bleakleys went with “Pet Resort” instead.

With the recent opening of the Winterville facility, the Bleakleys have been splitting their time between the two locations (14 miles apart). Running two separate facilities is a challenge, but despite the long days and hard work, Bleakley says the stress level is manageable. It turns out the pet care business provided just the personal and professional respite he and Rebecca needed.