Jim
Holt and Marcia Gatti have another accomplishment to celebrate.
Nearly two years
after opening a state-of-theart kennel, Holt and Gatti are among 14 businesses statewide receiving the Arizona Small Business
Development Center 2009 Success Awards.
SBDC counselors nominated the winners.
The judging criteria include job creation, retention and sales increases. Gatti and Holt will get their day in the sun on
the Arizona State Capitol Senate Lawn in Phoenix on March 25.
"I think it's
recognition for the passion we have," Gatti said. "When you're doing something passionate, it's a good job. We treat
them (dogs) like they're our own and build relationships with them."
Holt
and Gatti opened the Hassayampa Canine Resort & Spa in May 2007. Two full-time and five part-time employees work at the
resort and spa. About 900 clients with roughly 1,200 dogs use Gatti and Holt's services, which include dog massage, pet training
classes and boarding.
"In a relatively short period of time, we've developed
a very loyal customer base," Holt said.
But Gatti and Holt also attribute
some of their success to their attention to detail. That means giving lots of love to their furry customers and getting them
exercise seven times a day outside the kennels. The day begins before sunrise around 5 a.m. and runs to roughly 9 p.m. daily,
according to Gatti.
Gatti said she and Holt live a few feet away from the business
and they achieve success through their hard work.
Looking back from where they began this
journey, Holt says they owe their success to the local people that gave them a hand ranging from Country Bank to Yavapai College
SBDC Counselor Fred Kennedy. Holt said Kennedy was a huge help every step of the way from getting money
to maintaining success.
