Worldwise Names Senior Pet Industry Executive Jeff Sutherland as Chief Operating Officer

Veteran industry executive to support continued growth of leading pet supplies platform

NOVATO, Calif., May 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwise, Inc. ("Worldwise" or the "Company"), a leading pet supplies platform and a portfolio company of A&M Capital Partners ("AMCP"), a middle-market private equity investment fund that is part of the A&M Capital platform, together with A&M Capital Opportunities Fund, an affiliated fund, announced today that Jeff Sutherland has joined the Company as its Chief Operating Officer ("COO"), effective immediately. A proven operator with over 30 years of diverse pet industry experience, Mr. Sutherland will work closely with the Company's CEO Kevin Fick, its management team, and its private equity sponsor to further optimize enterprise-wide operations and support the Company's continued growth.

"Jeff is an accomplished executive and esteemed leader within our industry, and bringing him onboard is a major development for Worldwise," said Mr. Fick. "As a company that is fast-growing, it is critical that we build an elite team to support and manage our evolution. I believe the skillset, experience, and relationships that Jeff possesses will help strengthen several key areas of our business — from sales, distribution, and manufacturing, to acquisitions, team building, and brand management. On behalf of the entire Worldwise family, I want to welcome Jeff to the team."

Mr. Sutherland joins Worldwise from Redbarn Products ("Redbarn"), a family-owned manufacturer of premium pet food, treats, and chews, where he served as President since August 2017. During his time at Redbarn, Mr. Sutherland oversaw company-wide operations and helped grow the business significantly in less than five years. Prior to Redbarn, Mr. Sutherland held numerous senior roles in operations, marketing, and sales with Animal Supply Company, a leading distributor of wholesale pet products, and Central Garden & Pet, one of the country's largest distributors of leading brands in the lawn, garden, and pet supplies sectors. Mr. Sutherland, who attended Northern Arizona University, resides in Southern California with his wife, children, and three dogs.

"Worldwise is a tremendous company with an outstanding team and compelling growth prospects, and I could not be more excited to start this new role with them," said Mr. Sutherland. "The Company has taken significant steps to position itself as an emerging leader in the pet products space, which was what initially drew my attention to this opportunity. Once I learned more about the business and the people behind it — including the partners at AMCP — I knew it was the right place for me. I want to thank Kevin and the Worldwise team for their warm welcome, and I look forward to contributing to this impressive organization for years to come."

Worldwise manufactures and distributes a diverse portfolio of high-quality brands across several attractive product categories, including pet chews and treats, toys, litter accessories, pet bedding and more. The Company's complementary brands are available through big-box, specialty, and independent retail, as well as through major ecommerce partners such as Amazon and Chewy. For more information about Worldwise, please visit www.worldwise.com. 

About Worldwise, Inc.
Worldwise, Inc. is committed to creating the most innovative, accessible, affordable, and environmentally-responsible product solutions for pets and pet parents everywhere. Our family of award-winning brands—goDog®, Petlinks®, SHERPA®, Hear Doggy!®, SmartyKat®, TrustyPup®, Guaranteed On-Board®, PoochPlanet®, Pawscout™, FurHaven®, Pet Factory ®, CareChewz ®, Twistedz ®, Digest-A-Boost ®, Logical Pet ™, and more—all stand for the highest in quality, safety and satisfaction, all while incorporating environmentally-responsible materials and processes whenever possible. Backed by child safety standards and our satisfaction guarantee, our thoughtful, fun, and eco-sustainable products promote the bond between pets and pet parents across diverse categories such as cat toys, catnip, cat bedding, cat scratchers, dog toys, dog bedding, dog and cat travel accessories, app-integrated dog and cat tracking solutions, and more. For more information, please visit www.worldwise.com.

About A&M Capital Partners
A&M Capital Partners is Alvarez & Marsal Capital's flagship investment strategy focused on middle-market control transactions in North America with total assets under management of approximately $2.7 billion. AMCP partners with founders, corporates, and management teams, providing the capital and strategic assistance that we believe is required to take businesses to the next level of success. AMCP invests in businesses across a wide range of sectors including Business Services, Industrials, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Consumer & Retail, Government Services, Financial Services and Energy Services. More broadly, Alvarez & Marsal Capital is a multi-strategy private equity investment firm with over $4.1 billion in total assets under management across four investment strategies, which maintains a strategic association with Alvarez & Marsal, one of the largest operationally-focused advisory firms in the world.

CONTACT
Gaffney Bennett PR
[email protected]

SOURCE Worldwise, Inc.