Upscale Pet Resort Opens Second Location in Loudoun County, Virginia

STERLING, Va., Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the economic downturn that has adversely affected many market and retail sectors in the Washington DC metro areas and beyond, one Fairfax-based business is busy expanding its operations into neighboring Loudoun County, Virginia. The Olde Towne Pet Resort (OTPR) -- a "Day Spa & Hotel" for dogs and cats providing numerous dog and cat boarding services and amenities -- will soon be part of Loudoun County's vibrant business community which, according to the Virginia Employment Commission, is more than 8,500 businesses strong.

The Loudoun County area -- recognized as one of the "richest counties in the country" by Forbes.com since 2010 -- has the right combination of strong demographics and close proximity to Washington DC and Dulles International Airport. "The decision to expand our pet resort into the Loudoun community was easy to make given the county's strong economy, high median incomes and ideal location," says Steve B. Jones, President of OTPR's management company, Fried Companies, Inc.

While expanding to Loudoun was an easy decision, the process has been lengthy. "The entire process — from identifying the right location, purchasing the land, creating the architectural plans and actually building out our new pet resort facility has been about a three-year adventure," says Jones. "We have certainly tended to every possible detail before and during the construction process to create what will soon be known as a 5-star pet boarding resort with three expansive day camp rooms, 58 newly constructed 'cat condos' and 142 spacious dog boarding suites."

The Sterling-based pet resort is presently under construction and scheduled to open to the public by October 1, 2011. With its opening, OTPR will bring over 100 new jobs to Loudoun County. These new jobs reflect the continued and growing trend of pet-savvy/pet-friendly professionals in the pet boarding industry. According to recent industry reports, the number of employees in this market vertical has increased at an average annual rate of 2.1% to 112,513 in the past five years.

Industry growth over the past five years is largely attributable to higher pet ownership and accompanying demand for pet products and services. According to the 2009/2010 "National Pet Owners Survey" published by the American Pet Products Association (APPA), about 62.0% of US households own a pet, which equates to 71.4 million homes. Pet ownership has been slowly but steadily growing over the past two decades.

Moreover, the pet services industry has also exploded in the past 10 years. The emerging trends of "pet parents" has also brought about high demand for premium pet products and services. IBISWorld estimates that margins for premium pet services have increased from about 3.6% of revenue in 2006 to about 4.1% in 2011. Over the same five-year period, the number of pet-related enterprises has grown at an average annual rate of 1.6% to 15,769. IBISWorld projects that these favorable conditions will continue through the five years to 2016 and forecasts revenue to increase at an average annual rate of 4.4% to $18.0 billion by 2016.

"I welcome the decision by Olde Towne Pet Resort to locate its second facility in Loudoun County. It is high-end, consumer-focused businesses such as this that contribute to the amenity base that Loudoun's highly educated workforce and citizens have come to expect,"  says Thomas Flynn, Director of Loudoun County, Virginia Economic Development.

All of OTPR's Dulles-based opening details can be accessed by visiting: http://www.oldetownepetresort.com/Dulles.

The address to OTPR's new pet resort facility is 21460 Squire Court, Sterling, Virginia 20166.

For all inquiries pertaining to boarding reservations at OTPR's Dulles pet resort facility, please call 571.434.3300.

About Olde Towne Pet Resort

For 9 years, the Olde Towne Pet Resort (OTPR) has provided quality boarding and spa services for dogs and cats in Fairfax County. Based in Springfield, Virginia, OTPR is known to spare no detail to ensure the utmost of comfort, safety and joy for its customers' pets. OTPR's upcoming Dulles, Virginia pet resort facility is presently scheduled to open to the public by October 1, 2011. For more information about OTPR, please visit http://www.oldetownepetresort.com. For information about OTPR's Dulles Grand Opening, please visit www.oldetownepetresort.com/Dulles.

About Loudoun County Economic Development

The Department of Economic Development is part of the Loudoun County Government and focuses on helping businesses evaluate their options as they set up or expand their operations in Loudoun County. For more information, please visit http://biz.loudoun.gov.

About The Fried Companies

Fried Companies, Inc. (FCI) is a real estate development and management firm engaged in the development of residential communities, office complexes, shopping centers and industrial parks. An organization with over fifty years of experience in real estate, FCI has committed itself to industry leadership as well as to public service and community improvement. For more information about FCI, please visit http://www.friedcompanies.com.

CONTACT:  Sadaf Atashbarghi, +1-571-241-1286, [email protected]

SOURCE Olde Towne Pet Resort