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Columbus, Ohio – The Original BARK Company (NYSE:BARK), a leading global omnichannel brand for dogs and their parents, today announced plans to further expand in Columbus, Ohio, creating 500 new full-time jobs over the next four years, pending local approvals. The planned new hire will triple the headcount at BARK’s Columbus office and enable the company to further scale its growing product offerings. The company is hiring across product, operations, management, technical and development positions, which began in the fall of 2021.
BARK achieved tremendous growth throughout the last year and is expanding to meet increased demand for its products and services. In 2020, BARK created two new business lines to serve dog parents and their needs, such as personalized meals through BARK Eats and wellness products through BARK Bright. The company went public in June 2021 through a merger with Northern Star Acquisition Group. After committing to 120 jobs in 2015, the company currently has 250 full-time employees in Columbus and will triple its workforce with its latest investment by the end of 2025.
“The incredible company culture we established in Columbus allows us to address more product demand and enhance direct-to-consumer support through high-quality care from our customer service team, ‘Happy,’” said BARK CEO Manish Joneja. “The Columbus Region’s startup ecosystem and central U.S. location are two key factors that have continued to help us scale while serving our existing customers so well.”
Founded in 2012, BARK loyally serves dogs nationwide with themed toys and treats subscriptions, BarkBox and BARK Super Chewer; custom product collections through its retail partner network, including Target and Amazon; its high-quality, personalized nutrition and meal plans with BARK Eats; and health and wellness products that meet dogs’ needs with BARK Bright. In 2015, the company opened its first CX (customer service/experience), also known as the “Happy team” center in Columbus’ Carlisle Building before relocating to 500 W Broad St in Franklinton’s Gravity I building. In addition to competitive wages and great benefits, BARK offers a unique and fun work environment in its dog-friendly office.
“BARK is a high-growth company that sets a strong example by thriving in Columbus’ business ecosystem, creating more jobs and expanding close to home,” said City of Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “In addition to a vibrant business community, Columbus is home to some of the most educated young talent in the country.” The Columbus Region is an ideal location for distribution and fulfillment operations due to its geographic location, providing unmatched market access to U.S. consumers. Within a day’s drive, companies can reach over 150 million people – approximately 46% of the country’s population – which is larger than any other U.S. metro. The City of Columbus is located in Franklin County, which is home to an estimated 1,316,756 residents.
“BARK’s incredible growth story, culminating in its recent decision to go public, illustrates how Ohio is where innovative, online companies can thrive,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. “The combination of an ideal business climate and homegrown talent from the Columbus Region continues be a formula where fast-growing companies like BARK can scale up and create hundreds of new jobs.”
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About BARK
BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making dogs happy with the best products, services and content. BARK’s dog-obsessed team applies its unique, data-driven understanding of what makes each dog special to design playstyle-specific toys, wildly satisfying treats, personalized meal plans and supplements, and dog-first experiences that foster the health and happiness of dogs everywhere. Founded in 2012, BARK loyally serves dogs nationwide with themed toys and treats subscriptions, BarkBox and BARK Super Chewer; custom product collections through its retail partner network, including Target and Amazon; its high-quality, personalized nutrition and meal plans with BARK Eats; and health and wellness products that meet dogs’ needs with BARK Bright. At BARK, we want to make dogs as happy as they make us because dogs and humans are better together. Sniff around at bark.co for more information.
About the City of Columbus, Ohio
The City of Columbus is the 14th largest city in the United States with a population of 879,170 residents. The Columbus economy is balanced with a combination of education, technology, government, research, insurance and health care entities as major employers within the City. Columbus is gaining nationwide recognition for its booming downtown, historic neighborhoods, arts and sporting districts, open attitude and a noticeably affordable quality of life. Learn more about the City of Columbus at columbus.gov/development/Economic-Development.
About JobsOhio
JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
About One Columbus
As the economic development organization for the 11-county Columbus Region, One Columbus’ mission is to lead a comprehensive regional growth strategy that develops and attracts the world’s most competitive companies, grows a highly adaptive workforce, prepares our communities for the future, and inspires corporate, academic and public innovation throughout the Columbus Region. One Columbus expertly guides companies through the location decision process. Through strategic business outreach and customized research, the One Columbus team leverages public, private and institutional partnerships to grow the Columbus Region’s economy and strengthen its national and international competitiveness. Funding is received from more than 300 private organizations, local governments, academic institutions and JobsOhio. Learn more at ColumbusRegion.com.
One Columbus Media Contact
Amy Harman
614-225-6070
ah@columbusregion.com
BARK Media Contact
Jeanne Montone
press@barkbox.com