“I love the fact that I make pets’ lives better,” says Chad Barone, store manager at Braxton’s Animal Works.
Chad, who grew up in Illinois, has always loved animals. When he was in seventh grade, Chad found a dog in his backyard and managed to hide him from his mom just long enough for his older sister to convince her that they should keep him. Cinnamon became a part of the family.
Chad now owns a dog, Imogen, a cat, TJ, and pet mice. Chad’s wife, Colleen is an animal lover too. When they got their first pet mouse…a male, “he” had 9 babies a week later. “Colleen hand fed and tamed the mice from birth.” Animals are a family affair at the Barone home.
Braxton’s Animal Works enables Chad to improve the lives of both people and animals. “Every day you interact in the world; you have the power to make the interaction positive or negative.” Chad, who began as a stock boy and worked his way up to store manager, enjoys his encounters with the customers, their pets, and especially the staff.
“The ability to have a positive impact on young employees,” says Chad, “and help them to build confidence is rewarding to me.” He doesn’t take this job lightly; Chad is a “visible presence” on the sales floor and is available to answer questions and guide his employees.
“It is important” Chad believes, “to have an influence on the people you touch daily.” A Religious Studies and Philosophy major in college, Chad sees his job at Braxton’s as more of a calling.
He spends hours researching and weeding out the misinformation about various pet foods and products to provide Braxton’s customers with the best available information. “What I bring to customers, Chad says, “is good information about their pet’s food and its effects on the body.”
Last week Chad and Colleen welcomed their first child, Lucas Hawthorne Barone into the world. Be sure to stop by and congratulate him on his latest adventure.