While a baby in a walker rolls one way, three dogs scramble across the room, a seven-year-old scoots by on a skateboard, and the orders keep flowing in. This is what it looks like on any given day in the world of Rocco & Roxie Supply Company – a family run pet supply business that sells across the United States and Europe, from its base in Provo, Utah.
Two brothers started the company in 2013. Morgan and Matson Magleby originally worked out of their 88-year-old father’s house. In the six years that followed, business has grown to the point that they now count more than a half-million customers.
“We actually launched our business on Amazon. If that opportunity hadn't existed, I don't think we would be here today,” said Morgan, adding that they didn’t even have their own website at first. “We have to pinch ourselves regularly because we're so surprised at how our company has grown in a relatively short period of time.”
In 2013, they joined Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which allows small businesses to have Amazon manage the storage, packing, shipping, and customer service for their products. Small- and medium-sized businesses selling in Amazon's stores come from every state in the U.S., and from more than 130 different countries around the world.
Rocco & Roxie’s products range from pet toys and snacks to personalized identification tags and other accessories. But the product that put them on the map, is one any dog or cat owner can relate to.
“Our number one item is our stain and odor eliminator. We have over 6,000 five-star reviews on Amazon for this product because people love it,” said Morgan, who marvels at the number of repeat customers who seem to have some pretty accident-prone pets. He also takes great pride in this particular product, which he says launched the company’s steady upwards climb in the world of pet supplies for a simple reason: it works.
That formula, the treats, and other products are the result of research, despite the small company’s size. An in-house vet and Ph.D. food scientist help create the company’s successful products, many of which are not only American-made, but made in Utah.
The business boasts eight full-time and two part-time employees; members of four generations of the Magleby family.
“Every day feels kind of like a family reunion at our office,” said Matson, owner of Rocco, the Labradoodle that makes up one half of the company name. Roxie, the cat, belongs to Morgan who rescued her from a shelter.
Over the years, both animals, along with a growing number of dogs around the office, have served as playful product testers for everything from chewy balls to treats and even joint supplements. And as business has taken off, the brothers, their pets, and human relatives have expanded from their father’s house, to three offices within an industrial park. This summer, they plan to move into a new 6,000-square-foot office and warehouse which is under construction nearby.
“I would say that we're a true Amazon success story,” said Morgan.
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