Posted on September 24, 2021 by Pinnacle Pet

The People and Values That Built Pinnacle Pet

The vision and motivation of Pinnacle Pet’s staff set the values and trajectory of the company. We sat down to discuss what each member of the Pinnacle Pet management team sees as the defining characteristics of Pinnacle Pet. The commonalities between them are a love of people and a value for doing what’s right.

Chris and Misty Fleming, Owners
Pinnacle Pet started in 2013 when circumstances pushed together four people with an understanding of and a vision for the pet care community. Chris said they were dreaming of a way to support and educate breeders and elevate the standards of the industry overall. Pursuing those goals, Pinnacle Pet has grown to 41 employees throughout the years and has indeed affected positive change in the pet care community, building strong relationships with breeders and bolstering standards. A huge motivation behind Pinnacle Pet as a company, according to Misty, is to promote a better standard and to educate breeders. “We all had a lot of views of where the pet care industry should be and ways that it could be better.”

Donnie and Angela Baker, Owners
After seeing many examples of how NOT to do things in the pet care community, Angela was determined to do things right. Partnering with Chris and Misty was an easy decision as the Flemings had demonstrated an excellent understanding of the pet care community and the same desire to “do what’s right for the animals and the industry.” Seeing the staff at Pinnacle Pet grow both personally and professionally is a significant motivator for the Bakers. Watching them learn new skills and better themselves is its own reward. “I also love helping families get that wonderful new pet,” said Angela.

Michael Abernathy, General Manager
Always the entrepreneur, Michael had run a business of his own before hearing of a sales position
opportunity that piqued his interest. When he spoke with Chris Fleming and heard the “sales pitch” he was struck by how Pinnacle Pet stood out from others. But what really hooked him was when he discovered it was all true. For Michael, a business with the boldness to set a standard and keep it is a huge deal. As Michael has worked his way up from his starting position in sales, to Sales Manager, to General Manager, he has seen a company that stands by the standards they preach and always strives to do better.

Erica Huckstep, Breeder Support Manager
When Erica originally applied to Pinnacle Pet, it was for a part-time office position. But that never
happened. On her first day she was sucked into the world of the puppies and the people that would go on to shape her daily life. She moved quickly from the Front Office to Breeder Support where her immense people skills helped forge lasting relationships with the customers. Even though Halloween is Erica’s favorite holiday, there isn’t a mask that can hide her enjoyment of the adorable puppies she enjoys on a day-to-day basis. And on top of that, she said that she loves getting to work with so many “phenomenal people.”

David Schibi, Director of Internal Operations
In 2012 David Schibi became a single dad raising three young kids. In 2013, he found a family in
Pinnacle Pet that would not only allow him to earn an income but influence his life in every way. One of the original employees at Pinnacle Pet, David has worked nearly every role in the company settling into his current position as Director of Internal Operations in 2018. He remarked, “I told Chris I would work with them anywhere; whether that was buying and selling puppies or ice cubes.” An unabashed sci-fi and pop culture nerd, David is the go-to guy in the office if you want to know the original comic book story that all of today’s movies and TV shows are based off of.