Grow Market Lead
CEO
profile:
Dog Dynasty
Dogtopia is on the cusp of major growth
By Kerry Pipes
A
my Nichols has always loved
working with animals. In
high school she worked in
a pet store. In college she
worked in a biopsychology lab with
birds. But she always thought she would
have to find a “real job” after graduating from college.
“Growing up and living in the Northern Virginia area put me right in the
middle of the telecom industry,” says
the 39-year-old founder and CEO of
Dogtopia. “It gave me great exposure
to big business—both the good and
bad sides—and really helped prepare
6
Franchiseupdate Iss u e II, 2 0 1 3
Name: Amy Nichols
Title: Founder and CEO
Company: Dogtopia
Units: 27 stores, 4 in construction (Q2
openings), 4 in development, and 3 new
regional directors representing 37 locations
Age: 39
Family: Married with 4 children, 2 boys and
baby girl twins born last November
Years in franchising: 8
Years in current position: 8
me for founding Dogtopia.” Despite
her success in the telecom industry,
she d Y