“It gives me great confidence as a CEO to have a seasoned executive like Jon Rice by my side. Knowing that we're on the right track is a source of confidence that I value.”
Bob Crawford, CEO, Central Bark
Families rely on Central Bark Dog Day Care to provide dogs with love and care. With the unexpected departure of the franchise company’s VP of Marketing, CEO, Bob Crawford, turned to Chief Outsiders Fractional CMO, Jon Rice, for a return engagement. In a matter of days, Rice stepped in to lead the company’s critical franchise conference and ensure the continuity of important marketing initiatives. With Rice playing an important leadership role, the conference provided valuable feedback. Following a successful quarter, Crawford is moving the business forward with increased confidence.
Business Background
Best Care for Best Friends
Based on the idea that our best friends deserve the best care, Central Bark is one of the nation’s largest networks of day care for dogs. Fifty franchised locations are fully committed to providing an environment where all people and dogs feel safe, valued, respected, and loved.
CEO Bob Crawford is optimistic. “We're in the dog business,” related Crawford. “Business is great in the pet space. With more pets than kids in America, people are spending more on dogs than ever before.”
Depth and Breadth of Resources Make the Difference
With just a slight awareness of Chief Outsiders, Crawford connected with David Vroom, Managing Partner, Special Projects, four years ago. “A friend introduced us, and we just started talking,” he related. “And when I went through a marketing transition, I thought of Chief outsiders, and called them.”
With two other choices for marketing help, a couple of things helped him decide on Chief Outsiders. “The breadth and depth of the individual CMOs made the difference, and then the ability to access the resources that Chief outsiders could bring,” Crawford explained.
Immediately Available
Crawford engaged Fractional CMO, Jon Rice in 2023 and then again in 2025. The most recent engagement started quickly when he had a marketing vice president resign right before the company’s annual franchise conference.
Rice started work just three days after getting the call. “He was immediately available,” related Crawford. “That was critical. He had been with us before, so he knew our business and our system. I felt very confident that he would be able to come in and be a known quantity and do a good job at providing direction to the team.”
Growth Strategy
Pick Up All the Loose Ends
So, following the departure of the VP of Marketing (whom Jon originally helped place for the position just over a year ago) Central Bark invited Jon to return. All the work was performed remotely. “We’re a fully remote business and have been for 20 years, since before it was cool,” explained Crawford.
Jon’s assignment included:
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Facilitate transition of all work with executive team and former VP to manage work in progress and keep all key initiatives moving forward.
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Play a leading role in the upcoming National Franchise Conference.
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Provide guidance to franchisees regarding continuity of support and other concerns.
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Manage budget, internal marketing team, and outside resources to support key initiatives including:
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Execution of digital marketing
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Completion and rollout of a new brand website
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Support process for tracking and evaluating all sales and marketing efforts
Franchise Conference
The franchise conference, the first major hurdle, required timely communication. “Jon is good at responding to texts and he's responsive to franchisee requests and input,” related Crawford. “That was a critical part of the project when he first joined eight weeks ago.”
“We had over 120 people in attendance,” he continued. “And so, we needed Jon to quickly step in and play a leadership role with the franchise community and the franchise system. He was able to do that very well.”
Well-Versed in the Business
Rice had proven his worth during the first engagement in 2023. “Jon spent the time necessary to get to know our business,” explained Crawford. “He visited outlets, met with franchisees, and conducted consumer research during the six-month assignment. Well versed in our business, I was very confident that he would be able to do the same this time.”
Crawford feels very good about the quality of work from Rice and Chief Outsiders. “It's been spot on in terms of the analysis and the overall approach to consumers and the franchisees,” he stated.
Unflappable and Productive
When marketing meetings or other encounters became tense, Rice handled them well. “He's an unflappable guy,” explained Crawford. “I appreciate being comfortable putting him in situations that are highly charged. He does a good job of listening in circumstances like that and then playing back the things that he heard.”
“He hears them but also makes sure that they realize there are other, more elevated ways of thinking about marketing,” Crawford continued. “He brings the capability to do that, so he can course correct and redirect conversations in a positive and productive way.”
Results
Leadership on Demand
The Central Bark franchise conference ran smoothly, and with only a short time to prepare, Rice helped the conference succeed in several ways. “Jon did an excellent presentation at the conference,” reported Crawford.
“He also met with franchisees and listened to them, heard successes and challenges, and was open to all of it,” he continued. “He played an important leadership role for me and for the business, and I'm very grateful for that.”
Successful Quarter
Rice’s efforts are also paying off in improved financial results. “We had a great quarter,” Crawford reported. “Jon has been a terrific contributor to our business. He knows franchise marketing very well and he knows the important role that a marketing department plays in the franchise.”
Rice also knows the dynamics of franchisee and franchisor interactions. “He's constantly wanting to create value for the franchise business and the overall brand,” added Crawford. “He's been terrific and awesome.”
With a major initiative and roll outs to direct going forward, Rice is staying busy. “Jon is very focused on urgency, getting things done quickly,” Crawford explained. “And, from my perspective, choosing and managing the right suppliers is very important. He's got a fine eye for that.”
Set Up on the Right Course
The six-month 2023 engagement resulted in some very positive outcomes, including consumer research to inform setting up a marketing strategy. Jon also helped to organize the future marketing department.
“And there were some sensitive situations that came up with some franchisees that Jon helped us navigate,” reported Crawford. “That was very helpful. He also helped set us on the right course in terms of how we lead the organization from a marketing point of view.”
“The business is quite a bit bigger since 2023, because we've been able to realize a lot of success,” summarized Crawford. “Our brand remains strong. We have a 95% consumer satisfaction rating. Our business is still growing, and we're getting new franchisees to want to join us.”
Bottom Line, Confidence
Chief Outsiders is known for its outstanding pool of battle-tested talent. “There were a number of franchise marketing executives that I interviewed prior to choosing Jon,” Crawford reported. “For other CEOs thinking about using Chief Outsiders, that's a big one. There's, a multitude of options to pick from on their roster.”
Overall, Jon Rice and Chief Outsiders have helped to modernize the Central Bark marketing function, propelling its current and future strategies. “I would recommend Jon, because he’s got a strong handle on business process, business strategy, and business leadership,” added Crawford. “All three components are critical.”
“It gives me great confidence as a CEO to have a seasoned executive like Jon Rice by my side,” Crawford concluded. “Knowing that we're on the right track is a source of confidence that I value. Every CEO can relate to that.”