Virtual Reboot!
In 2022, Learn from the comfort of your living room.
Registration
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Registration code: This conference is strictly for members of the Owners of Dog Daycares Facebook group and their managers. Once registration is open, the registration code will be found in the pinned post at the top of the group. Once you have entered the code, you must click APPLY!!!!
Multiple registrations: If you are registering more than one person, (other owners or managers), you will need to complete a registration form for each one. You will also need a different email address for each registration. After you complete your own registration, click the "register now" link again to open up a new registration and go through the same process for each owner or manager.
Webinar link: The day before the conference begins you will receive an email with the links to access the conference. The email will be sent to the email you use to register. If you don’t receive it, please make sure you are checking the right mailbox, and check your spam.
Replay: The replay of the speakers and panels will be available through 2/26/22 at 10pm eastern US time. Your replay code will be sent to you once the conference is completed.
Refunds: Refunds will be allowed until 6pm, eastern US time, on 1/22/2022. There will be a service fee of $10 for any refunds given.
ZOOM: The conference will be held on Zoom. If you have never used Zoom before, we recommend that you do a test run ahead of time to make sure you are ready on the day of the conference. Start here to test ZOOM.
REGISTER HERE (after you have gotten the code from the Owners of Dog Daycares FB Group): http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=lp4d7tuab&oeidk=a07eiz2d30p860fd78b
Our Speakers
Michael Shikashio, CDBC
Title: "The Interplay Between Arousal and Aggression"
Biography:
Michael is an internationally sought after keynote speaker and presenter on the topic of dog aggression at numerous events, conferences, and universities worldwide.
He has mentored and presented to thousands of animal professionals in twelve different countries and has been a guest at every major dog training conference in the U.S. and Mexico including the APDT, IAABC, FDSA, Clicker Expo, Victoria Stilwell’s DBC, PPG, CICA, IACP, Owners of Dog Daycares, and The Aggression in Dogs Conferences.
Michael is fully Certified through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and is one of fewer than 300 CDBCs worldwide.
He is the founder of the Aggression in Dogs Master Course and currently teaches trainers and behavior consultants in more than 25 countries how to work with aggression cases.
Michael has been a featured guest for numerous media outlets including the New York Times, New York Post, SiriusXM Radio, Real Simple Magazine, Baltimore Sun, Fox News, WebMD, WTNH Channel 8, Business Insider, and Women’s Health.
He is referred to by countless veterinary professionals, rescue and shelter organizations, and behavior professionals from all over the world for working with aggression cases.
Danielle Mulvey
Title: "Mind Blowing Tactics and Strategies to Recruit and Hire 5-STAR Employees"
Biography:
Former flight attendant turned $50M+ in annual revenue entrepreneur, Danielle Mulvey, has cracked the code on how to recruit, hire and retain 5-Star Employees in order to profitably scale multiple businesses. With teams of 5-Star Employees, Danielle works 10 – 12 hours per week “ON” her $50M+ businesses.
Because she doesn’t settle for average or ho-hum 1, 2, or 3-Star Employees, Danielle has the financial freedom to spend the balance of her work week guiding other entrepreneurs through podcasting, speaking, coaching and community curating. (You may also recognize Danielle as the host of Profit First Nation, the official podcast for Profit First and Chief Curator of The ALL IN Company community.)
Danielle’s WHY and gift is guiding entrepreneurs on exactly how to improve their effectiveness from 28% to 90% in hiring 5-Star Employees – the true foundation to her own personal entrepreneurial success.
Melissa Giannone
Title: "Restructuring Services to Meet Staffing Levels"
Biography: Melissa is the owner of No Barks About It, offering dayschool, training, and grooming. No Barks About It began as daycare and grooming only - over the years she has morphed the business into a niche market in her area for training focused dayschool and puppy kindergarten. No Barks currently has 15 employees.
Melissa is a Cornell University grad, who decided at the last possible moment to change course from vet school to dog grooming. Her hobbies include riding her horse and spending as much time at the beach as possible. She’s passionate about Doberman rescue and has been a foster mom whenever possible.
Jill Dretzka
Title: "Tik Tok for Your Business"
"Social Media Audit and Empowering Your Team"
Biography: Jill Dretzka is the owner of Work and Woof in Austin, TX. Work and Woof is the first of its kind combining the concept of crate and kennel free daycare with a shared office space for the ultimate remote working experience for pet parents! Prior to opening Work and Woof in 2018, Jill founded a social media business to help business owners having a better understanding of social media strategy and implementation for their own operations. Jill and her dog Lucca call Work and Woof home where their motto is “You work, they play”.
Brad Seipel
Title: MARC Data on New Pet Parents Demographics
Biography: Brad Seipel is Executive Vice President and Group Director of Account Management at M/A/R/C® Research, which is a consulting firm focused on providing insights and strategies that enable clients to make informed decisions to move their business forward. In his role Brad serves as executive leader of M/A/R/C’s Animal Health Practice—a practice area he has been serving for nearly 18 years.
With his knowledge of Animal Health and thought leadership in the space, Brad is a frequently sought guest speaker for a myriad of conferences and webinars, including a three-part webinar series for DVM360 in 2021, and at the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor Homecoming Event in 2020.
Brad is a member of the Insights Association and sits on the board of directors of Project Evergreen, a national non-profit organization committed to bringing people together to create healthy green spaces for both humans and animals alike.
David J. Acanfora
Title: "Fire Inspector Lessons"
Biography: David is a 28 year veteran of the Fire Service. He served the Bridgeport, Connecticut Fire Department as a Firefighter, Safety Officer, Training Officer and retired at the rank of Lieutenant. He is currently an Instructor for the Fairfield Regional Fire School in Fairfield Connecticut where he has designed and delivered firefighter training programs. David is certified a Fire Inspector, Fire investigator and Hazard Materials Inspector. He graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a BA in English Literature. He has dedicated his career to keeping his community safe from the dangers associated with all aspects of fire emergencies through the educational process of prevention.
Heenle Turner
Titles: "Recruiting and Onboarding"
"New Hire Training"
Biography: Heenle is a certified HR Professional with a passion for helping businesses succeed. Heenle has provided HR consulting services to more than 200 businesses varying in size and industry.
Heenle's experience in sales, customer service and people management has uniquely positioned her to partner with entrepenuaers and business leaders to recruit and retain a team of their own five-star employees.
Jennifer Carter
Title: "Canine Nutrition"
Biography:
Titles and Education:
1.) Current - Ph.D Candidate at Virginia Tech - Science and Technology Studies (STS) (ABD)
a.) Certified Canine Nutritionist -CERT-CN -Companion Animal Sciences Institute
b.) Certified Pet Nutrition Coach- North American Veterinary Community (NAVC)
c.) Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) Project Management Institute (PMI)
d.) Raw Feeding Specialist
2.) Masters of Science - Virginia Tech -STS
3.) Masters of Science - University of New Haven - National Security and Public Safety
4.) Bachelors of Science - University of Georgia- Biological Science, Animal Science
Jennifer Carter is Volhard Dog Nutrition’s Canine Nutritionist and also Vice President of Operations. Jennifer Carter is currently and continuously being mentored by Wendy Volhard.
Research:
Jennifer Carter’s current research interests are in the study of the canine microbiome and its relation to the immune system, the history of the dog food industry, its regulation, nutritional labeling and the industry’s social influence on the culture of feeding dogs and canine iridology.
Responsibilities:
As Volhard’s Canine Nutritionist and Vice President of Operations at Volhard Dog Nutrition, Jennifer Carter is charged with providing nutritional consultations, developing and formulating new diets, treats and supplements, creating partnerships with veterinarians, dog trainers, groomers, breeders and other complementary organizations, delivering educational nutrition related outreach programs across the country such as short courses, workshops, certificate programs, conferences, trade shows, association meetings, and other credit and non-credit programs.
Jennifer Carter is also responsible for supervising all daily operations of the company, including IT, marketing and sales, preparing and presenting reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), working closely with the CEO and Vice President of Administration on all matters related to the business. Assisting the CEO with financial projections and the analysis of existing programs and policies, performing employee reviews and developing corrective action plans if needed, developing and implementing strategies, policies and procedures. Jennifer Carter is responsible for translating strategy into actionable goals for performance and growth, working with the executive team to set company performance goals, provides company leadership training, researching supply chain needs, sourcing ingredients and services and oversees the manufacturing, packaging, testing and distribution of Volhard’s products.
Leighton Oosthuisen
Title: "Other Benefits for Staff"
Biography: Leighton is the founder and Training Director of PartnersDogs in Scottsdale Arizona.
PartnersDogs is a full service training school, daycare and resort, and was established in 1998. His son, Christopher, is a co-owner, and manages daily operations and staff, while Leighton focuses on expansion and instructor training.
Leighton started training at age 13 in South Africa, emigrated to the USA 30 years ago, and has since trained or supervised over 35,000 dogs. He trained bomb and narcotic detection dogs in the military and law enforcement, was a consultant for NBC for ten years, and has appeared in TV shows, feature movies and commercials. Leightons’ background is in behavioral modification, and has instructed obedience, agility, dock diving and protection dog sports. He currently has a Dutch Shepherd and a Belgian Malinois, and participates in French Ring.
Leighton is also involved in competitive shooting, and has Captained the USA shooting team, won numerous local, National Titles and a World Championship.
PartnersDogs works with around 6,000 dogs a year, and has a full time staff of 48. They have two locations, a ten acre facility in Cave Creek and a 21,000 SF indoor facility in Scottsdale.
Their emphasis is on a well trained dog, and even daycare includes training programs to better acclimate dogs. Staff undergo in house training programs which include online classes, in person training, weekly apprentice classes and one-on-one time with senior instructors.
Leighton lives in Cave Creek, Az, with his fiancé Sarah, daughter Alessandra, five dogs, two cats and eight chickens.
Davin D. Ruohomaki, Senior Director Engineering and Construction, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Title: "Fire Safety and Design Considerations"
Biography: Davin D. Ruohomaki, CGC, Executive MBA retains over 32 years of work experience and is currently the Senior Director of Engineering and Construction for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. Mr. Ruohomaki is focused on the planning, design and implementation of the Strategic Plan and the current $3B+ Capital Improvement Program. Over $1B+ in prior programs have been completed under his direct supervision since 2014 including a total Master Plan update.
Mr. Ruohomaki was formerly a Corporate Officer/Vice President of URS Corporation (now Aecom) responsible for total Profit/Loss for the Division of Florida Construction Management/Program Management (CMPM) operations and Business Line Leader for the MidAtlantic South and Latin America.
Prior to this role, Mr. Ruohomaki led the Program Management Contract for the $2B+ Orange County School Board/URS contract as Director of Construction with the successful completion of over 70 school construction/renovation/transportation projects.
Other experience highlights include: Program Manager on the $1B+ Pentagon Renovation Program pre/post 9/11 including surviving and leading recovery efforts; Design/construction of the first Sprint PCS facilities in the United States; Design/construction of the telecom total infrastructure for the $1B+ Walt Disney Word’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park; Manager of Project Management for all I.T. project management work on Disney property in Central Florida.
Mr. Ruohomaki graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Virginia Military Institute in 1989 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and later earned his Executive Masters of Business Administration from the University of Central Florida in 2000. Davin started his career as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army as a Battalion Staff Officer for Operations, Security and Intelligence for a 1,000 person Unit. Davin and his wife have owned and currently operate 3 small businesses in Florida since 2002.