Wag! Announces Appointment of Garrett Smallwood as CEO and Member of the Board of Directors
Nov 26, 2019, 15:30 ET
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wag!, the nationwide dog walking and boarding app, announced today that Garrett Smallwood, Vice President of Product, Partnerships, and Corporate Development at Wag Labs, Inc., has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and will become a member of the Company's Board of Directors, succeeding Hilary Schneider, who is leaving the company to pursue a new opportunity. The transition will be effective November 29, 2019.
"Garrett is a key member of the Wag! management team," said Schneider. "He has led efforts to diversify the company's product offerings into such areas as drop-ins, day care, dog sitting and boarding, and scheduled and repeat walks. He is also leading the execution of the company's strategy of growing through channel partnerships, the first of which is Wag!'s recently announced relationship with Petco. He is the right leader to advance the company's business priorities."
"We thank Hilary for establishing a solid platform for future growth and helping to ensure the wellbeing of pets in the company's care by focusing on trust and safety," said Jeff Housenbold, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers.
"I am thrilled to lead Wag!'s continued transformation into a resilient, sustainable company," said Smallwood. "Wag! has a great brand, the best app, a talented team, and a community of pet caregivers who are committed to providing an excellent experience for pets and the families who love them. These are the building blocks for our future success."
About Garrett Smallwood
Before joining Wag! nearly three years ago, Smallwood was the co-founder and CEO of Finrise and Vetary.com, which provided point-of-sale financing options for health care treatments not normally covered by insurance, including veterinary services. Previously Garrett was the VP of Operations at Pillow, now part of Expedia, which provided a suite of management services to help residents of multifamily buildings earn money through the short-term rental economy. Smallwood is an alumnus and EIR at NFX, a seed stage venture firm.
About Wag!
In 2015 Wag! created on-demand dog walking and is now available in 43 states and 110 cities. The mobile app gives pet parents more flexibility to manage everyday life with instant access to experienced and thoroughly vetted dog walkers, sitters, and boarding hosts in their communities. Wag! services are insured and backed by the 24/7 support of a dedicated Trust & Safety team. Find us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
SOURCE Wag!
