Chris

VP OF MARKETING

What's on your iPod?
Radiohead, Land of Talk, Guster, Chris Cornell, Elbow, Foo Fighters, Wilco, Kaiser Chiefs, Elvis Costello
What's your most unusual or impressive skill?
I brew beer—and it is actually drinkable!
What are your favorite books?
Mysteries by James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais.
What made you choose to work at Nestlé Purina?
The brands—leaders in a category I’m proud to work on.
The people—results focused, externally competitive, curious, enjoyable to work with.
What motivates you to continue working at Nestlé Purina?
The important things (above) continue to be important/strengths twenty years later.
What has been the most rewarding thing about working at Nestlé Purina?
Good ideas are supported, even if they are somewhat outside your scope of responsibility; opportunities to learn and do new things are also encouraged and supported.
Describe your greatest experience with Nestlé Purina.
Developing and bringing to market Beneful® dry dog food, with a core team of creative, market research, and product development, all for the most part doing this work in addition to their day jobs. And it would not have happened without support all the way up the line in each of our departments.
What do you wish you would have known about Nestlé Purina while you were searching for a job?
How flat the organization is. To be working with the heads of marketing and sales, and with customers, even as a entry level marketing person, has been amazing.
What is the most gratifying component about your current role?
Developing people, and working to help them be successful contributors to the company.
What exciting projects have you worked on?
Development and introduction of Beneful® brand
Early growth and brand building on Pro Plan® brand
The Incredible campaign on Dog Chow® brand
Launch of TIDY CATS Scoop® Crystals Blend litter, TIDY CATS Scoop® Small Spaces™
The Tidy Cats TV advertising (“Party”, “Party at Stew’s”)—highest scoring advertising in the Company
How has Nestlé Purina supported your work-life balance?
I am a big supporter of work-life balance, and I have gone from single in St Louis to married with four kids (boys)… and the times, especially with multiple kids under 5 years old, can really stress a schedule. Throughout, though, my group and managers have been very flexible—it has always been about getting the right results, not simply about massive hours in the office.
What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
Being with my kids at their many sports events
Playing tennis, running
Mulching and gardening (mostly with big tools) in my yard
Vacationing to new places
When you're out on the town, where are we most likely to run into you?
Restaurants and theaters in downtown, Frontenac and Kirkwood (Wasabi, Lucas Park Grill, Canyon Café, Blue Water Grill, Plaza Frontenac Theaters), Ladue Middle School and High School (for kids' music and athletic events), soccer and baseball fields all over the county.
Department:
Golden Products Marketing
Position:
VP, Marketing—Golden Product division
Role:
Lead the demand generation work (brand building, advertising, promotion, consumer learning, product development) for the Purina litter brands: Tidy Cats®, Yesterday’s News® brand, and secondnature® dog litter.
Time with Nestlé Purina
20 years
Pets:
Lizzie, standard poodle (chocolate) and Cy and Dizzy (brothers), domestic shorthair cats (from the Humane Society)
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