Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

Many people view their dogs as more than just pets — they see them as family members. So when they bring them to the groomer, they want to be sure they're well cared for. And many dog owners are willing to pay a premium for that kind of certainty.

Ricardo Azevedo is the CEO of Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, America’s largest premium pet brand. Since joining in 2022, Ricardo has led the company from 150 locations to more than 330, adding five to eight new stores every month. 
 
Prior to Woof Gang, Azevedo held senior leadership roles at Restaurant Brands International, where he worked across iconic brands, including Tim Hortons and Burger King. 

Today, we talk to Ricardo about how his QSR experience translated to the pet space, what it takes to scale a franchise brand sustainably, and why the grooming industry is ripe for a dominant national player.

Highlights:
  • A decade at RBI (2:15)
  • Inside Woof Gang (5:14)
  • The white space in grooming (6:55)
  • Footprint, growth, and real estate (9:48)
  • Building the infrastructure (13:26)
  • Restaurants vs. services (17:07)
  • Selecting franchisees (18:38)
  • Protecting brand standards (21:49)
  • The pet industry today (23:49)
  • Goals for ‘26 into ‘27 (27:38)

Links:
Ricardo Azevedo LinkedIn
Woof Gang LinkedIn
Woof Gang Website
ICR LinkedIn
ICR Twitter
ICR Website


Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you’d like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co


What is Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders?

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value.

In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment.

This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation.

For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com