Brett’s Journey at Purina: A Legacy of Sales Leadership and Passion

We’re passionate about empowering our associates to build careers they can take pride in, like Brett, Senior Manager in Field Sales. His long-standing career with us speaks to our core values of development, longevity, and innovation to advance the future of pet care. Read on to learn more about Brett’s wide-spanning, over 30-year long career with us.

Tell us about your extensive career journey, where you started, and where you are now.

I started as a Territory Manager in 1992, for what was then known as Pro-Visions Pet Specialty Enterprises. After four years in the field, I was promoted to a Category Development role working with Brand Teams, Customer Teams, and supporting the Retail Sales Team. In 2000, I moved to Houston to become a Team Leader for Retail. In that role, I managed people. In 2014, I moved back to St. Louis, still as a Team Leader, but rather than leading my own team, I supported the entire Retail Team in a hybrid role where I acted as trade support while also training and developing Territory Managers. Eventually, that role morphed into my current role, which is Team Leader for the Midwest Retail team, leading seven Territory Mangers in the Midwest/South US.

Can you share a few key milestones from your career at Nestlé Purina that you believe had a lasting impact on the company and its direction?

In the late 1990’s we eliminated the “Pro-Visions” organization and became part of the broader Ralston Purina company. While always a part of the organization, we were seen as separate given our channel and our name. I was a huge supporter of this change and played a role in bringing the rest of the sales organization along and ensuring our Purina products would be open to much bigger opportunities for us in the future.

How has your passion for animals evolved throughout your time at Purina? Are there any memorable experiences with pets that stand out to you?

My family has always had pets. Early in my career, prior to Purina, we had an American Eskimo. Once I moved to Purina, I had a customer give me an 8-week-old Samoyed. The Samoyed turned out to be the best dog I ever had and was by far the smartest. He and the American Eskimo were best friends to the end. We also had a Pomeranian, a Chorkie, and a mixed Lab, all the while having a cat that minded her own business for 15+ years.

How have you contributed to fostering a culture of mentorship and collaboration within your teams at Purina?

From a mentorship perspective, being in the Team Leader role, there is always a mentorship type relationship with my direct reports. Outside of that, I played a key role in developing a training program for our Territory Managers that wanted to grow in their role. This became a strong feeder position for the various analyst roles within the organization and continues to be seen as a valuable feeder today.

What advice would you give to the next generation of professionals in the pet care industry?

Always keep the customer in mind, whether that is your account, the person buying our products, or the animal itself. Don’t be quick to jump on fads in the industry. Fads come and go, and plenty have within the Pet Care category. Take time to understand what really drives sustainable results and chase that. Know that the industry will continue to evolve and you must evolve with it. So many times, the pet food industry seemed to be at its “apex” and then something else comes along, and it’s a whole new ballgame again.

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