Rover.com Kicks off the New Year with Three Executive Hires

SEATTLE, Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Rover.com, the digital dog-care leader that connects dog owners and sitters, has hired three new executives: Scott Porad as Senior Vice President of Product Development, Susan Koehler as Chief Marketing Officer and Kristen Forecki as Director of Customer Experience. With these additions to the team, Rover.com is poised to continue innovating and expanding its leadership position in the growing dog-care industry.

Scott Porad will be responsible for the product and engineering team. Scott has developed and worked directly on some of the most popular sites on the Web from conception to mass adoption. Previously, he was the Chief Technology Officer of the Cheezburger Network, the hugely popular collection of humor sites related to cats, fashion, cute baby animals and so much more. Scott helped build Cheezburger from one humor site to a top-100 network of sites on the Internet. Before Cheezburger, Scott helped to build other leading websites such as drugstore.com and ESPN.com. He was recently named 2012 Puget Sound Business Journal's "Startup Tech Star."

To help expand Rover.com's increasing popularity and rapid growth, the company also has hired Susan Koehler as Chief Marketing Officer. Susan has over 20 year of business and marketing experience in consumer and high-tech industries. She was previously a senior leader at Microsoft, Dial Corporation and Warner Lambert Corp. In this new role, Susan will be working with the company to build innovative and strategic partnerships and will lead Rover's brand strategy and communications efforts. 

Kristen Foracki joins the Rover team as the Director of Customer Experience, adding a wealth of knowledge and expertise around customer satisfaction. Prior to Rover, Kristen was a Senior Product Manager at Amazon, where she worked on the company's business-to-business, third-party marketplace and vendor negotiation teams. She led the nationwide roll-out of Amazon's Levels of Service program and launched Amazon's Strategic Vendor Relationship program. Earlier in her career, Kristen was a Financial Analyst of General Mills' cereal business, contributing to new product launches and promotions.

"At Rover, we are passionate about driving innovation that matches owners with the best sitters to care for their dogs when they are away," said Aaron Easterly, Rover's CEO. "I am confident that Scott, Susan and Kristen will have a profound impact on the future of Rover.com, as we are entering the most exciting time in our company's history."

Rover.com has a nationwide network of over 25,000 approved sitters. Over 100,000 dog lovers have signed up on Rover.com, and their testimonials and reviews are driving substantial growth.

"For this business about dogs to succeed, it's all about people," said Greg Gottesman, founder of Rover.com and Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group. "We now have built a world-class team across the board, and that makes me excited about our ability to scale this business successfully."

Rover.com is working on a myriad of exciting additions to its leading online dog-care community and will be rolling out product updates, new features and services. The company goes well beyond connecting dog owners with approved Rover sitters. Its state-of-the-art sitter review and approval process, online profiles and reviews give owners the confidence they need to entrust others with their beloved dogs.

About Rover.com

We love dogs! We created Rover.com because dog owners need sitters who are as reliable and loving as family. Since dogs give so much affection to their owners, we are jumping through hoops so people can find home stays that their dogs will love. Rover.com is a trusted online community for dog owners seeking local sitters to provide real homes when they travel. The company has thousands of qualified sitters who love dogs and are eager to add the personal touch that each dog is accustomed to at home. Rover.com maintains the mission of creating a safe, loving home for dogs even when owners are away by offering an alternative to traditional caged boarding facilities, or family, friends and neighbors who are often asked to sit in a pinch.

To learn more visit www.Rover.com

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SOURCE Rover.com