The fast-growing pet care industry has created jobs at all levels for people with varied backgrounds -- from entry-level animal care and customer service trainees to professional groomers and experienced managers. This is the third in our series of pet care profiles. For more information about job opportunities with Best Friends, visit our Job Opportunities page.

Sue Sexton-Sullivan (right) believes that working with community groups helps build her resort's business.

SUE SULLIVAN
MANAGER, BEST FRIENDS --SUDBURY

Sue Sexton-Sullivan thinks she has the ideal job. "I love working with the animals; I love relating to my customers; and most of all, I love the fact that have the opportunity to work every part of my operation - some days I'm a customer service representative, other days, I'm a doggy daycamp counselor; others, I'm working in grooming. It's the perfect job."

Sue has been the Manager of the Best Friends Pet Resort and Salon in Sudbury, MA since before it opened one year ago. "It really feels like my own resort. I was here for months before we opened our doors to the public: hiring and training staff, visiting vet offices in the area to introduce myself, even helping build some of our doggy suites!"

Pets were a family thing
Sue grew up in a house full of pets. What she describes as "the rescuing house in the neighborhood that always took in pregnant strays and found homes for the puppies and kiitens.

By the age of 13, she was working as a volunteer at a local humane society near here home in Lynn, MA. As a teen, she did a stint working at a veterinary hospital through a Girls Club work-share program.

She landed her first "real" job in the pet care industry in 1991 when she joined Pedigree Career Institute, the leading grooming school in Massachusetts. She had to start as the receptionist to get in the door, but accepted the position because she saw an opportunity to learn the industry. Over the next seven years, she learned grooming and moved up through the ranks, becoming clinic coordinator.

It was in 1998 that Sue joined Best Friends, initially as assistant manager at the Company's Weloset Kennel in Boxford, MA. She spent the next year learning the boarding business inside and out. She moved around Massachusetts and Connecticut working in four different Best Friends Pet Resorts & Salons, until in 1999, she was offered the opportunity to manage the soon-to-open Sudbury resort.

A resort of her own
Sue has put her stamp on the Sudbury resort, working hard to build relationships that will grow her business. "I think it's important to take the time to establish really good relationships - not just with each customer, but also with the vets in the area and with service organizations in the local pet community," she explains.

"We also do a lot of outreach, making sure that Best Friends is represented at almost every pet community function in the area, and we host plenty of events of our own - from adoption days for local rescue groups, to educational events like our Breed Mini-Fair, to fun events for pet lovers like our Valentine's Pet Photo Day and our Howl-o-ween Pet Party."

Sue is especially keen on working with local humane societies and pet rescue groups. "Every humane society we work with says that, because of us, they've placed more animals this year."

"It makes me feel good to support them, but those relationships also contribute to our business. The volunteers recommend us to their adopters, who then use us for boarding and grooming. I also find that the volunteers themselves become loyal customers. Our support for these groups affects the way the rest of our customers perceive us. It's a win-win situation."

A great first year
The Sudbury resort has become one of the most successful new openings in Best Friends recent history and Sue and her team of earned a variety of business awards reflecting their success.

She is especially proud of the award she received from the Framingham Rotary Club Work Opportunities Coalition for "exemplary efforts for hiring, promoting and integrating individuals with disabilities into business."

"It's the staff that makes any business successful and I have a great staff. They're enthusiastic, and they care about their work." She says. "I'm fortunate to work with such a great team."

Would she recommend working in pet care to others? "To manage a business this size takes a huge amount of dedication," says Sue. "You have to be prepared to do everything and sometimes, that means getting your hands dirty. But if you love animals, it's incredibly rewarding.