Business View Magazine | July 2019

67 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2019 The American Pet Products Association By Andy Darmohraj, Executive Vice President and COO Andrew Darmohraj, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the American Pet Products Association (APPA), has been with the Association since 1997. He oversees all aspects of APPA’s day-to-day operations including membership, accounting, and the marketing communications and public relations department which promotes APPA’s mission, its members and the pet product industry. The Evolution of APPA and its Membership T he American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), as it was originally named, was founded in 1958 by Allan Levey as a result of 17 manufacturers coming together to take a chance on the pet industry. In a time when the industry itself was little more than an idea, no one would have ever imagined it to become the multi-billion-dollar industry it is today. However, as the industry grew at an unprecedented rate, along with the Association’s membership, need for a central venue for networking, sharing ideas and conducting business became evident. The first APPMA trade show took place in 1959 and was offered solely for pet product manufacturers in the U.S. Over time, there was an increase in overseas manufacturers paving the way for international companies to join the Association. Likewise, large chain stores and big-box retailers began entering the market, as consumer demand for pet products continued to rise. These trends eventually led APPA to join efforts with the Pet Industry Distributors Association in 2005 to produce what is now Global