Meet the Pet Angel Team

EDWARD DEMBINSKI
Edward Dembinski joined Pet Angel in 2008 as Vice President of Administrative Services from Wm. Wright Co., where he served as Vice President of Human Resources. Wrights was a manufacturer and distributor of craft products sold through major distributors.

Mr. Dembinski had full responsibility for all of Wrights Human Resources functions, involving 1000 employees. Wrights was a global multi location operation and Mr. Dembinski had full responsibility for overseeing all HR functions at all locations. Nationally, facilities were located in West Warren, MA, Chicago, IL, Williamsport, PA, Union, SC and Antioch, TN. Globally locations were in China, India and the UK.

Mr. Dembinski was part of the Senior Management Group that transformed Wrights from a manufacturer of goods to a global sourcing Company. This involved the closure of operations in MA, IL, PA and SC. Mr. Dembinski worked with the Federal Government to qualify employees for the TAA and ATAA Programs. He also played an important role of relocating Wrights distribution operation from MA to TN. This involved recruiting, relocating employees and establishing HR and Safety Programs.

Prior to joining Wrights in 2001, Mr. Dembinski had full HR responsibility for one of the largest construction companies in MA, Aggregate Industries. In this role he not only was responsibly for all HR functions but he also was the second person in responsibility in union labor issues and negotiations. This required him to be actively involved with labor unions representing the teamsters, labors and operating engineer’s organizations.

Before joining Aggregate Industries, Mr. Dembinski worked as the HR Manager at the corporate office of Thom McAn a national retailer of footwear products. He had responsibility for a corporate staff of 600 employees and assisted with a Company wide employee base of 10,000 employees.

Mr. Dembinski graduated with an MBA from Anna Maria College and holds a BSBA from Clark University.

 

COLEEN ELLIS
As Founder of Pet Angel Memorial Center, Coleen Ellis brings the look and feel of the business to the team. Her career out of college has been spent in the funeral business, with the majority of her career being spent with Forethought Financial Services. The final stages of her tenure with Forethought were spent working with the large funeral home/cemetery combinations across the United States and assisting in every aspect of their preneed program. The death of her beloved Mico was the “inspiration” for her to step out of the human death care side of the business - and Pet Angel Memorial Center, the first pet funeral home in the United States, was launched in September of 2004, in Carmel, IN. A native Kansan, Coleen graduated from Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS, with a degree in Marketing. She and her husband, Chris Burke, reside in Greenwood, IN, with their human children Brian and Amy Burke, as well as their furry children, Mike The Dog, Ellie Mae, and Crisco. Pet Angel is truly a family affair with Chris partnering with Coleen in the start-up of the business and a current advisor to the corporation and Brian assisting with the day-to-day operations and training for the organization, a role he still plays.

 

PENNY ELLIS
Penny Ellis opened the second Pet Angel Memorial Center in January 2005. The Company acquired Ms. Ellis’ Memorial Center in 2007 as its second acquisition and she joined the Company as Vice President of Merchandising at that time. Ms. Ellis is also responsible for Memorial Center management training and performance oversight. She is a vital member of the Company’s Best Practices Oversight Committee.

Prior to opening Pet Angel, Ms. Ellis was a Sales Consultant for Forethought Financial Services, Inc., a former subsidiary of Hillenbrand Industries. Her specific responsibilities included recruiting & training new sales associates, coaching & performance management, marketing program design & implementation, compensation & incentive program design, sales analysis & tracking, and the establishment of standard operating processes to assure repeatable quality results.

Penny also has retail management experience prior to her years at Forethought. She was a retail and area manager for Eddie Bauer, a former subsidiary of Spiegel. Her main responsibilities included hiring, training, and recruiting associates, inventory management and merchandising, and sales forecasting.

Ms. Ellis received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. While at Fort Hays, Penny was a member of the Women’s Basketball Team and eventually an assistant coach while finishing her degree. She participated in numerous sales training courses to further enhance her skills in marketing and sales, including Dimensions of Professional Selling and Spin Selling.

 

MIKE FUSS
Mike Fuss, our President, came to Pet Angel Memorial Center with broad management experience in consumer based products and services. Mike is originally from Milwaukee, WI where he graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee with a business degree and obtained his CPA license. Mike, his wife Kathy, and their three now-adult children have called New England home for more than twenty years.

 

 

 

 

GLENN HANSON
Glenn Hanson is the CEO of Pet Angel… Having spent the last 7 years on philanthropic causes, while at the same time investing in and mentoring startup companies, found a unique opportunity to apply his talent to the pet industry. While having lunch with a colleague the concept of bringing cremation of a family pet to a newer and more visible level struck him as a nice gesture to children that just do not understand what happens when their pet dies. It seemed to him he could create an environment that would make visible the process and have it not be such a scary thought. “If we brought the cremation to the storefront kids would grow up knowing just what will happen when the family pet passes on. We can take away any mystery, create a memorial experience that will allow us to feel close to our animals where ever we are… that is, as we visit or even see a Pet Angel” This idea then lead to an investigation of best practices in the industry where he ran into Coleen of Pet Angel Memorial Center. She was doing close to what he had envisioned “only better”… So, they joined forces to carry out the mission on a national level.

Glenn Hanson is a private investor and entrepreneur with 30 years experience in leading successful companies. He co-founded the Hanson Initiative for Language and Literacy (HILL) in 2001 with MGH Institute of Health Professions, to address the literacy crisis in America. (Now, used in 150 schools and teaching 75,000 students per year) www.mghihp.edu/hill. He is a former Trustee of Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH. Among the many startup companies he is the co-founder of www.rivervalleyinvestors.com. Glenn was an evening student at Western New England College. He is an instrument rated fixed wing and, current helicopter pilot, supporting philanthropic efforts such as www.flyingsanta.com, www.angelflightne.org, YMCA and many local charities along with being a volunteer first response pilot for homeland security disaster relief.

“I think business is the greatest game there is… we are allowed to express our individuality build a strong bond with other team members and do good for the world. I believe work should be an extraordinary life experience and that we are here to serve our customer and share our success”.

Glenn is married to Krista (met in high school). They have one daughter and a dog named Oliver.

KRISTA HANSON
Krista Hanson is a graduate of Western New England College and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she received a Masters Degree in Interior Design. She specializes in corporate design and was Facilities Design Director at MassMutual and partner at Spec’s Design Group in Springfield, MA. Krista is a co-founder and Advisory Board member for the Hanson Initiative for Language and Literacy (HILL), a Trustee of Wilbraham and Monson Academy, and is active in several other philanthropic and service organizations.

As a member of the Pet Angel team, Krista will be responsible for the design of our memorial centers, creating a warm and supporting environment for pet parents and their babies, friends, and families.

A collector of fine crafts, Krista is also on a mission to find the finest artists to create unique hand made pet urns and remembrance pieces incorporating pet ashes. “We want to offer grieving pet parents the opportunity to keep their pet angels with them in a way that brings them comfort.”

 

AB IGRAM
Ab joins Pet Angel as President of Franchising from Onaway Partners, LLC where he served as Founder and Managing Partner. Onaway Partners is a private equity and consulting firm focused on the franchise sector.

Prior to founding Onaway Partners in 2003, Ab gained his private equity experience at GE Equity, the private equity arm of GE. At GE Equity, Ab was focused on investments and portfolio management in the real estate, financial services, transportation and energy sectors. During his six year tenure at GE Equity, Ab was involved in making numerous private equity investments, totaling over $200 million of capital. He served as a director or observer on the board of directors of four of those companies.

Ab graduated with an MBA cum laude from Babson College and holds a BA in Economics from Northwestern University. He is active as a volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut and is former Chairman of the Board.

Ab resides in Fairfield, CT with his wife Priscilla, an artist with a flare for pet portraits, their three children, and their dog Sugar Baby.

Our family, always there for your family. Contact us to make your arrangements.

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