NEW YORK — Donald Young, a veteran in pet industry sales, has joined Better Choice Company as executive vice president of sales, effective Jan. 1. Young brings more than 29 years of pet specialty pet food brand sales experience to his new role.

Throughout his career, Young has led sales efforts for several products including The Nutro Company’s brands and Merrick Pet Care, Inc. brands.

“We are incredibly excited for Donald to join our team,” said Scott Lerner, chief executive officer of Better Choice Company. “We are looking forward to having him build upon his past successes to help drive the growth and expansion of Better Choice’s brands in the Pet Specialty channel.”

Lerner himself was recently appointed to CEO at Better Choice Company in early January.

Young led the expansion of Merrick Pet Care’s pet specialty-focused business between 2010 and 2020, during which time he elevated the company to the No. 3 natural pet food and treat competitor in the natural pet specialty retail channel and quadrupled its sales.

Donald Young, executive vice president of sales for Better Choice Company.

“I have been incredibly impressed by the caliber of the team Better Choice has assembled and am excited to hit the ground running and build on the momentum already created,” Young said. “I am committed to building a world-class sales team that is empowered to do what is right for our retail partners so we can all succeed together. Whether that be investments in education and services or simply delivering the best possible product for pet parents.”

Michael Young, chairman of the board for Better Choice Company, added, “Attracting talent like Donald Young speaks to the quality of the platform Better Choice has built and continues to build. We continue to add world-class industry experts, as we execute on our goal to build the most dynamic team in the animal health and wellness industry.

“With the recent additions to our team as well as recent announcements to the changes in our capital structure, Better Choice is extremely well positioned to capitalize on the major macro-economic trends in the industry,” he said.

Donald Young will be located in Nashville, Tenn., where Better Choice recently announced it has repositioned its fulfillment and distribution centers.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.