Accomplished International Businessman Signs on For Three Hounds Town USA Franchises in Growing Charlotte, North Carolina Market

Hounds Town USA, a doggie daycare franchise with 23 locations across the country, has won over Marcos de Oliveira, a former executive in charge of man of Newell Brands Latin American operation, not once, but three times over. He’s signed on to dominate the Charlotte market with three new locations for the brand. 

Hounds Town USA takes a different approach to doggie daycare by prioritizing dog-on-dog interaction in a safe, controlled environment where staff are trained on the intricacies of dog psychology so customers can be sure their furry family members are having a good time. The business model has proven a winner despite pandemic lockdowns as more Americans adopt animals and eventually need a place to socialize, entertain and care for them. 

de Oliviera, a Brazillian national who came to America 25 years ago, has also proved a winner in the business world. 

“For most of my career, I've been in some shape or form managing businesses in Latin America from the U.S. and being responsible for the entire business,” he said. When Newell, a $15 billion dollar company, needed a business opened south of the U.S. border, the buck stopped with De Oliviera. 

But eventually, de Oliviera wanted a business he could run more comfortably, and one that would allow him to provide jobs and opportunity for his whole family. 

So de Oliviera set out to research business opportunities that suited his desired lifestyle, provided income and opportunity for his family and served the community. All the while, he was ready to return to his corporate career if the perfect opportunity never showed up.

And it did with Hounds Town USA.

“Part of my decision process was to look at the industry segment that has some resilience to economic downturns like the pandemic. There’s no such  thing as an industry that’s not impacted by COVID-19. I wanted to find something that was not dramatically impacted by anything and was a steady earner. The pet industry, in general, is one that resists downturns. I see the segment as a strategic segment that’s growing. For Americans, and all over the world, pets have become part of the family.” 

So far, Hounds Town USA has performed exactly as de Oliviera described. The brand has seen sales growth and multi-unit franchise deals from fellow animal lovers who see the industry set for a boom as pet adoption skyrockets and Americans start considering returning to the office. 

“During the pandemic, adoption of dogs and cats skyrocketed. You couldn’t even find a dog to adopt,” said de Oliviera. “Among younger people, you see them living in smaller spaces. People don’t have kids as early in life, they have pets. You can get a little bit mad at yourself because you’re not playing with the pet. You want to give the pet an opportunity to have fun,” he said.

Hounds Town USA understands the desire to give pets a fulfilling life, and its philosophy lines up exactly with the trend towards pet care spotted by de Oliviera. In fact, he was so convinced by the booming numbers in pet adoption, he decided to go into pet care before even hearing about Hounds Town USA. But once he did, he was sold on the brand’s dynamic leadership and potential to dominate the space. 

“Part of why Hounds Town USA is awesome is because it’s a business that’s very early,” said de Oliviera. “It’s still a franchise that's new, they’re not Burger King. They’re nimble enough to keep adapting to the marketplace.”

So to test just how adaptable and nimble Hounds Town USA was, de Oliviera took it upon himself to interview as many franchisees as possible. What he found was that Jackie Bondanza, the brand’s president, had jumpstarted the brand’s growth with early marketing and set it up for serious success and customer loyalty. 

“I’m a firm believer from my previous achievements that if you invest in marketing early, the payback is higher,” he said of Bondanza, who has leveraged the brand’s story, and a bunch of cute dogs, to media success, including appearances on local news stations. 

“Hounds Town USA can create customer loyalty really fast. People bring their dog in several days a week,” said de Oliviera. “It’s a kind of business where you can have a customer for six, seven or eight years. It’s a marvelous thing for business,” he continued. 

de Oliviera remains on the hunt for the perfect spot for his first Hounds Town USA location, but his plans don’t stop there. With sights set on dominating the entire Charlotte market, he’s already bought the rights for three units. From there, De Oliviera dreams to enlist the help of his family to build a doggie daycare empire on the solid business model tried and tested by Bondanza. 

 “I want to be a semi-absentee owner. I want to get some people from my family to manage everyday opportunities,” he said. 

With the buy-in of experienced franchisees like de Oliviera, the Hounds Town USA brand only becomes more likely to attract top talent and emerge the top dog in a growing industry sector. 

For franchising opportunities, please visit  http://www.houndstownfranchise.com