PAWTUCKET, RI. — Pet Food Experts (PFX) announced several senior leadership transitions and promotions as the company enters a new chapter following its acquisition of select assets from Animal Supply Company (ASC).

“These leadership updates reflect our commitment to building a stronger, more unified organization,” said Michael Baker, president and chief executive officer. “We’re aligning our people, priorities and processes to support long-term growth and continue delivering excellence for our partners.”

After three years as chief financial officer, Jim Martin officially retired on March 14. According to PFX, Martin’s contributions in building a strong financial foundation, driving collaboration, and mentoring emerging leaders have left a lasting legacy at the company. 

“Jim’s steady guidance and integrity have helped shape who we are today,” Baker said. “We thank him for his service and wish him well in retirement.”

Paul McCarron will take on the role of CFO moving forward, and will oversee accounting, financial planning and analysis, and procurement. Previously serving as chief operating officer, McCarron brings strong experience in accounting and supply chain leadership and will continue to build on the strong financial groundwork laid by Martin. 

Additional leadership changes include Tim Batterson, former CEO of ASC, who will guide and oversee the integration process of the two companies; Brian Fredricks, former director of FP&A for ASC, has joined PFX in the same role and brought a strong team with him; Phylicia Proulx, chief of staff, who will also serve as interim director of purchasing operations throughout the integration; and Brian Wyrostek, senior vice president of business intelligence & 3P/PS leadership, will continue leading initiatives such as Cost to Serve analysis, while overseeing Pet Superstores, 3PL, and Continuous Improvement.

Those aren’t the only personnel changes within the company, as PFX announced several promotions and appointments within its commercial team as part of its unified commercial strategy. 

Personnel changes within PFX’s commercial team include Joe Carras, who has been appointed senior vice president of Neighborhood Pet (NHP) Commercial Strategy, will lead commercial initiatives across the business; Sarah Daniels, who has been named vice president of NHP Sales, will lead the national sales team; Kelly Pye, who was promoted to senior director of customer experience, will collaborate with directors Sarah Plants and Erick Joerin to deliver exceptional service; and Stacey Picher, who was appointed senior director of engagement and innovation, will evolve the former marketing department into a customer-centric function. 

“These leadership changes mark an important milestone in our evolution,” Baker commented. “We’re building an organization designed for agility, collaboration and growth. Our new leaders bring the talent, energy and vision needed to take PFX into the future.”

According to PFX, these leadership transitions support the distributor’s broader strategy to strengthen operations, modernize systems and accelerate growth in the evolving pet specialty landscape.

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