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History: Granger-based Wag’n Tails has been in the pet grooming business since 1971, when it opened its first pet grooming salon in St. Paul, Minnesota. Five years later, the company decided to go mobile and converted two pet grooming vans. By 1980, the company had six pet grooming vehicles serving the Twin Cities area. The company then moved to Howell, Michigan, northwest of Detroit, where the pet grooming business grew to 22 mobile pet grooming vehicles and two pet grooming salons. It sold its first mobile grooming van conversion in 1994. Eventually, the company changed its business model to focus solely on manufacturing specialty pet grooming vehicles. Company founder Dina Perry designed a pet grooming vehicle and a mobile business plan to help customers be successful.
On the move again: Dina’s son Dennis Gnetz purchased the business in 1999 and, in 2001, he and his father opened an 8,000-square-foot production facility. In 2005, the company built a 24,000-square-foot production facility in Granger to manufacture both pet grooming and veterinary vehicles.
Continued growth: In 2017, the company celebrated 3,000 pet grooming and veterinary vehicles produced and
sold since its inception. Two years later, it added another 12,000 square feet of production space to keep up with demand.
Local assembly: Wag’n Tails manufactures the entire conversion in Granger. The van chassis are manufactured offsite. Company headquarters, two manufacturing plants and a service center are all in Ganger. The company employs roughly 65 (and is growing rapidly), including craftsmen, engineers, sales and marketing professionals, and administrative staff.
Popular product: The Supreme Groom Van consistently stands out as a favorite among professional groomers for its efficient design, comfort, functionality and ease of use.
Interest exploded: Wag’n Tails says interest in mobile pet care has always been high (people love their pets), but since COVID, the industry has exploded. “This growth is primarily driven by a demand for convenient, high-quality pet care services delivered directly to the customer’s door,” Wag’n Tails Director of Marketing Jason Mills said in an email to IBJ.
—Compiled by Samm Quinn
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