Phillips Pet Food & Supplies, a distributor of pet food and supplies, has named Blaine Phillips as its interim CEO, effective immediately.
He will succeed Todd Shelton, who has served as CEO since 2016. Additionally, Sean F. Griffin, former CEO of Supervalu and chief operating officer of UNFI, has been appointed to the Phillips board of directors and is taking on an advisory role.
Phillips was appointed chairman of Phillips Pet Food & Supplies in November 2020 and was previously CEO of the company from 1981 to 2016. During his prior tenure as CEO, he built the business from a small family feed store into the largest national distributor of pet food and supplies.
“Blaine is a deeply respected industry veteran, an esteemed long-time leader of our company, and the ideal steward to move Phillips forward in our continued commitment to be the preferred service provider in pet specialty,” Griffin said. “Blaine will hit the ground running working with our capable management team and dedicated teammates to execute on Phillips’ ongoing commitment to provide our vendors and customers with the products and services they need to grow their businesses.”
Phillips will continue as chairman of the company. He stated: “When my grandfather opened a single store in 1938, his goal was to delight our customers and create a great place to work. It has been a pleasure to take part in the incredible transformation that has taken Phillips to where we are today, while keeping those same objectives at our core. The key to our success has always been the strength of our relationships with our customers, which is a testament to the talent, hard work, and dedication of Phillips employees at all levels. I look forward to again working together with our valued customers, vendors and employees, achieving more.”
He continued, “I also want to thank Todd for his years of tireless service to our company and I wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”