Business View Magazine | July 2019

71 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2019 with our members face-to-face, and establish and maintain the relationships that the industry is built on. The Driving Forces Behind The Association APPA has a total of 21 members on staff. Each department’s responsibilities are designed to support The Association’s mission of providing services and opportunities that help member companies thrive in the pet industry. With two departments dedicated to membership recruitment and retention, we focus on the growth of APPA while serving the needs of current members. The trade show department assists all exhibitors at Global Pet Expo with their booth and exhibiting needs, while overseeing its operations to produce the premier industry event. We also work closely with the buyers from 80 countries that attend the Show every year. Additionally, APPA’s departments include marketing and communications, regulatory and legislative affairs, accounting, and administrative and human resources, along with the executive team. Lastly, we have a strong team of leaders serving on APPA’s board of directors. Many of our board members come to APPA with top-level executive experience both inside and outside the pet industry, which has greatly contributed to the Association’s success, growth and overall impact in the industry. We’re fortunate to have a passionate, dedicated team. Looking to the Future More than ever before, young people are waiting to start families and instead, getting pets first. In fact, Millennials make up the leading pet-owning demographic, owning 35 percent of pets in the U.S. APPA is committed to ongoing research to assess all generations and demographics across the board, exploring lifestyle trends, purchasing habits and market forecasting. APPA publishes its biennial National Pet Owners Survey, designed to monitor THE AMER I CAN PET PRODUCTS ASSOC I AT ION