LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15, 2006 — ALLERCA, the lifestyle pet company that created the world's first hypoallergenic cat, announced today that Steven May has been appointed president. This new role, among other key management appointments, supports the company's strategic growth plans.
Selling companion animals described as "lifestyle pets," ALLERCA has successfully developed a new market within the $37-billion-a-year U.S. pet industry. Named one of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2006, the first ALLERCA hypoallergenic kittens will be delivered to customers next year. ALLERCA will be launching its second companion pet in 2007 and has other pets in the pipeline.
"As ALLERCA enters its third year of operations, we are thrilled to have Steven May join the ALLERCA management team," said Chief Executive Officer Megan Young. "As a consultant to our company, Steven was instrumental in helping us launch the hypoallergenic cat and he's a natural fit to help us move the company forward."
A Los Angeles native, May has a unique combination of business experiences to help ALLERCA with its fast growing expansion with more than 30 years of expertise in the veterinary companion pet industries.
Prior to joining ALLERCA, May was vice president of strategic marketing at VPI, a pet insurance company, with a focus on the veterinarian and breeder markets. Prior to VPI, May was vice president of corporate marketing at VCA ANTECH (Veterinary Centers of America) where he provided strategic marketing programs for their hospital and laboratory divisions and also acted as vice president for Vet's Choice, a joint venture between Veterinary Centers of America, Inc. (VCA) and Heinz Pet Products.
ALLERCA founder Simon Brodie has been appointed chairman and will continue to consult for ALLERCA to offer his expertise and guidance. Robert Stephenson, who has consulted for ALLERCA since the company's inception, has been appointed chief operations officer.
As part of ALLERCA's strategic growth plans, the company has expanded and relocated its head office to Los Angeles, California and plans to open a satellite office in New York City, New York to provide sales and customer service support to a growing number of East Coast customers.
About ALLERCA
ALLERCA is a lifestyle pet company located in Southern California. ALLERCA's mission is to connect pet owners and pets according to their lifestyle. More information on ALLERCA can be found at http://www.allerca.com.
CONTACT:
Julie Chytrowsky
310-866-7579