MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO — Dane Creek Capital Corp. (DCCC), a private equity venture owning several raw pet food manufacturing businesses in Canada and the United States, has added Alexandra Wood as its new vice president of marketing and communications, effective May 12.

Wood will be responsible for managing the company’s 14 pet food, treat, supplement and alternative protein brands.

“I am pleased to be welcoming Alex to the team at Dane Creek” said Mark Warren, chairman and chief executive officer of DCCC. “Her experience very much complements the model we have employed here. We all look forward to working with her as we integrate our acquired businesses into more cohesive units operating under our unique brand strategy, which is more category focused.”

Previously, Wood served as corporate brand manager at Mercatto Hospitality, where she managed brand strategy, including marketing, budgets, social media and website development, for the company’s five restaurants and Toronto, Canada-based businesses.

Wood joins DCCC’s team of five vice presidents, which includes MacKenzie Keillor, vice president of mergers and acquisitions, strategy and shareholder relations, and Christine Walsh, vice president of national sales.  Wood will report directly to Warren.

“We have made it clear from the outset that we intend to align the team here at DCCC with those who make the decisions on what to buy for their pets,” Warren said. “The vast majority of day to day decisions regarding dogs and cats in North America continue to be made by women, so it only makes sense that, as a corporation focusing on the pet industry, we align our team accordingly. To date, over 50% of the corporation’s deployed capital has been invested in businesses founded, co-founded and/or run by women.”

Wood graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

DCCC is the private equity firm that owns 70% of United Raw, with the remaining 30% owned by DCCC’s shareholders. United Raw represents the largest family of frozen raw pet food brands throughout Canada, according to DCCC.

The company acquired Tollden Farms Inc. in March 2020, representing its fifth acquisition in the frozen raw pet food category. DCCC purchased Quebec-based RawPaw Natural Foods in March 2019 under its United Pet Supplements brand.

In April 2020, DCCC raised wages for all its hourly and salaried manufacturing employees throughout Canada in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.