A local business owner will bring the first franchise of a Minnesota-based pet health company to St. Cloud in June.
Scot Ziessman, who owns Massage Envy and The Professional Massage Academy in Division Place Shopping Center, said Pet Evolution is set to open June 10. The business is billed as a healthy pet supply store focused mainly on dogs and, to a lesser degree, cats.
“Health and wellness for your dog is so important,” Ziessman said. “The better you feed them … the better their life will be.”
The store carries pet accessories and pet food lines that are free of corn, wheat, soy, byproducts and artificial flavors and colors. Pet Evolution will also offer five self-serve dog wash stations and 10 grooming stations.
It also offers three membership tiers for washes and treats, which come with discounts for retail purchases and grooming. Finally, there will be a van that can travel to nearby customer homes to provide dental cleanings and nail trims.
Ziessman said he sees a viable market for a pet health and wellness company as pet owners increasingly treat their pets like their children.
More:Need to wash your dog? Now you can take it to a St. Cloud laundromat.
He’s been a business owner for almost 20 years, starting with a Fantastic Sam’s franchise in 2004 before acquiring his first Massage Envy in 2012 and the massage school in 2018, Ziesmann said. A regional developer told him about Pet Evolution, and Ziessman visited the company’s first location in Woodbury. It felt right, he said, and he knew several other smart, successful people jumping on board.
“This was that opportunity to work with people I like and respect,” he said.
He was later to the game in Massage Envy franchises, Ziesmann said; the St. Cloud location was the 680th franchise for the company.
By contrast, the St. Cloud Pet Evolution will be the first franchise location. The second, in Blaine, will also be Ziesmann’s.
“To be first in with the franchise and knowing and trusting the people behind the scenes, that was enough for us to say yeah, I’m not going to wait this time around,” Ziesmann said. “I’m gonna go early.”
For him, opening Pet Evolution stores isn’t a big leap. It’s still a care-oriented customer service business.
“When I started looking into it, it’s not very different — except the customers are pets,” he said.
He likes that St. Cloud is a regional hub, and he said he doesn’t see another business like Pet Evolution in the area.
“There is a place in town that does dog washes,” Ziesmann said. “There are places that do grooming. There are places that sell dog food, obviously. And I’m not sure, but there may even be a mobile van for nail trimming. None of them are all in one place. None of them are a membership-based business.”
Ziesmann said he hopes to employ around two dozen people at the St. Cloud Pet Evolution. The new store will be at 2716 Division St. West.
Sarah Kocher is the business reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8799 or skocher@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahAKocher.
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