Courtesy of Benson’s Pet Centers
By Rod Bacon
Entrepreneurship is all about seizing the day. When someone with an entrepreneurial spirit recognizes a viable business opportunity they act upon it.
What started as a small fish room inside Benson’s Pet Shop in Wilton’s Pyramid Mall in 1992 has grown over the past 33 years to a family-owned-and-operated business with eight locations in the Capital District, Upstate New York, and Massachusetts.
As a youngster Ryan Kramer became interested in aquatics and his father, Frank, bought him his first fish tank when he was 12. His interest in fresh-water fish never waned and 10 years later he had the opportunity to purchase multiple fish tanks from a Ballston Spa store that was getting out of that area of the pet business. Shortly thereafter, he walked into the mall’s pet store looking for fish. There were none. The owner, a self-described “dog guy” who had named the store after his pet beagle, Benson, suggested that Ryan set up his fish tanks in an unused section of the store. He sold fish and fish supplies.
“Within three months I was making more money than the rest of the store,” said Ryan. “Every day I would take some of my profits and buy more product.”
Finally the owner, a teacher who was more interested in showing dogs than in running a store, asked Ryan if he would like to buy the business. Ryan had been keeping his father abreast of his progress and Frank, who was working in a management position at Caterpillar in Massachusetts, agreed to move to New York and partner with his son.
“My father is great in the office,” Ryan said. “It’s what he’s done all his life; crunching numbers, keeping track of inventory. I am the guy who can sell so we have a perfect business model for us.”
Keeping it family oriented is part of their business model. Currently, there are eight family member working in various capacities. According to Ryan, each has his or her strengths and these are capitalized on to keep the business running smoothly.
“When we find something at which someone can excel we encourage that person to pursue it,” said Ryan.
He gave the example of his son, Ryan Jr., who is excellent at marketing and computer programs. David, another son, did so well managing their Ballston Avenue store that he moved up to being a traveling manager who spends time at stores where the managers are struggling and helps them rectify the problems.
Both of these men have gone through the Disney Internship Program, learning the skills of exceptional customer service.
Sam, Ryan’s youngest son, enjoys computer work and is being trained by Frank to potentially step into that position in the future.
A nephew is in charge of building and vehicle maintenance and a niece is a “Jill of all trades” who performs a lot of the tasks other people would rather not do.
There are also 100 team members in the various stores who are always encouraged to excel and keep the lines of communication open. Every three months upper management meets with team leaders to discuss any issues they have and brainstorm ideas to solve them.
As the company has grown, so has its customer service. They tout their free local delivery service as “from our store to your paws, faster than a tail wag.”
There is also curb-side pickup where a team member fills orders either called in or sent online and delivers them to customers who come to the store nearest them.
Benson’s carries products for dogs and cats as well as “furry, feathery and scaly” friends, which include rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, birds, lizards, snakes, and of course fish.
One of their wholesalers is Pet Food Experts (PFX), and according to Ryan there is an interesting story behind their relationship. The company is headed by Mike Baker, a third-generation pet store owner. The family operated Rumford Pet Express in Clifton Country Mall and Pets And More on Wolf Road in Colonie. One day the Kramers got a call from the mall manager saying Rumford was leaving and wanted to know if they were interested in taking over the space.
“We were not looking to expand but it was an opportunity so we jumped on it,” said Ryan. “That was store number two.”
About a year later they got a call from the Baker family saying they were pulling out of their Wolf Road location and offered to sell it to the Kramers.
“That was a big store, around nine thousand square feet,” said Ryan. “We were used to stores between twelve hundred to fifteen hundred square feet. But again, it was an opportunity and we jumped on that one too. That was our third store.”
Other stores were added as opportunities presented themselves.
When possible they buy directly from dog food companies, one of which is Wisconsin-based Fromm Family Pet Food, a fifth-generation pet food supplier.
“Their business philosophy and the way they bring family into the business is exactly like ours,” Ryan said.
He noted that the Kramer family does not run the business soley for the money.
“We’ve never run this business looking to get rich,” he said. “We never thought like that. We just want to provide the best products for your pets at the most reasonable price we’re all happy with.”
This business model has paid off because there are approximately 20,000 customers enrolled in the Benson’s Best program, under which significant savings can be realized after purchasing a designated number of products. There are also monthly deals for dog owners (Bestie Box) and cat owners (Kitty Crate).
A few of the stores offer dog bathing facilities.
“We see a lot of dirty dogs come in but they leave spotless” said Ryan.
The company gives back to the communities it serves through its Benson’s Cares program, which seeks to support animal care charities, rescue groups, and other worthy organizations through donations from its customers and vendors. A few that they support are North Country Wildcare, Witches Kittens, and Special Olympics New York.
For more information about the products and services offered by Benson’s Pet Centers log on to bensonspet.com.