Phelps Pet Products is pleased to announce the hiring of Chuck Bridges as the company’s new vice president of manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics. Chuck comes to Phelps with a diverse range of cross-category experiences in operations and supply chain management. He holds an MBA from Western New England University and is a degreed Chemical Engineer, B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The hiring of Bridges coincides with a significant increase in investment by Phelps in new innovation, expanded capacity and accelerated sales growth. “We are thrilled to add someone with Chuck’s operations expertise to our experienced supply chain team. Chuck will have an immediate impact on the business, and his leadership will help us continue to raise the bar for our operations,” stated Rick Ruffolo, CEO & president of Phelps Pet Products.
“I am eager to join the Phelps organization and to help build upon the company’s category-leading innovation in jerky dog treats, to further elevate our customer service, and to more than double our production output later this year. I already feel welcomed and look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues,” said Bridges.
Rockford, Illinois-based Phelps Pet Products is the leader in innovative “jerky-style” dog treats with a history that dates back to 1966 when founder and current board member, Dick Phelps, first established the company. Today, Phelps has built a strong expertise in consumer-centric innovation focusing on customer-specific product development across all channels of distribution. To further accelerate growth, Phelps recently acquired all of the pet treat production equipment from Simmons Pet Food which will be used in Phelps’ new 178,000 square foot production facility in Janesville, WI due to open in Q4 2022. This acquisition will more than double the production capacity at Phelps and expand their portfolio of treat-making capabilities.
