You don’t grow from one store to forty-four in less than 20 years without knowing how to find and select good locations. The Pacific Northwest’s largest independent pet retailer, Mud Bay, knows a lot about real estate and the significant role it plays in success.
Marisa Wulff, co-CEO of locally headquartered Mud Bay, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s EDC Real Estate Forum on September 28, from 11am-1pm, at Hotel RL – Olympia. Mud Bay’s 44 stores stretch as far north as Bellingham and as far south as Tualatin OR. They opened two additional stores in Thurston County within the last year, for a total of four. Mud Bay has one of the largest selections of natural foods for dogs and cats of any retailer in the United States and is the sixteenth largest pet retailer in the U.S. by store count.
A key Mud Bay axiom is they’ll never grow faster than they can grow well. And, sometimes, finding the right site in the right neighborhood at the right price takes years. Marisa will share insights into their site selection process, including challenges and how they overcome them, as well as the significant role real estate has played in their ability to grow as a company.
Marisa will also touch upon how Mud Bay is handling the “Amazon Effect” and its impact on selecting locations for its brick and mortar stores.
The Real Estate Forum will include data and trends related to commercial real estate and development in the South Sound, providing attendees the latest details, information, and projections for commercial, industrial, retail and multi-family properties. Experts will address what makes Thurston County such a unique market and why it is one of the fastest growing regions in the United States.
If history is any indicator, networking will be robust with the room filled with industry and community leaders including investors, decision makers, property owners, government representatives, engineers, contractors, site selectors and business owners.
The Real Estate Forum is hosted in partnership with NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties). Presenting sponsors for this annual event are Phillips Burgess PLLC and SCJ Alliance. To learn more about this event and how to get involved and/or sponsor, please email Karissa Benjamin or contact her at 360.464.6040.
Date: Thursday, Sept 28
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Hotel RL – Olympia
$50