Planet Dog in the "Doghouse"

Four-year-old canine merchandise manufacturer/marketer Planet Dog is in the "doghouse." No, the Portland, ME-based company is not in trouble. Rather, last month it opened the aptly titled Doghouse, a new 5,000-sq.-ft. distribution center. The leased facility enables the company to fulfill its own orders for the first time.

"The new distribution center enables us to lower our operating costs while allowing us to control our inventory better," says Planet Dog president Stephanie Volo, who expects to save $50,000 in the first year alone.

Planet Dog, which sells to consumers via catalog as well as to more than 2,000 stores worldwide, grew 300% last year, Volo says.Year-to-date, the company is tracking 100% growth. The third-party fulfillment center that Planet Dog had used charged the cataloger a percentage of sales, so as revenue grew so did its fulfillment bill. "Now we’re able to save because some of those costs are fixed," Volo says.

The facility also houses three offices and the future site of Planet Dog’s product development center. And yes, employees are encouraged to bring their dogs to the Doghouse.