Dogtopia Team

Neil Gill is CEO and President of Dogtopia Enterprises. Neil has spent more than 35 years in franchising with international brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Brinker International and more than 11 years at Gloria Jean’s Coffees as CEO, opening more than 1,000 stores across 39 countries. He has experience in taking franchise brands through IPOs and worked in a variety of sectors from on-line education, weight loss, bakery and Asian tea. Neil has a love of franchising and the entrepreneurial spirit it enables in everyone involved.

As Chief Experience Officer, Shelley Parnell manages Dogtopia’s external agencies and sets the strategic direction of the Company’s marketing, communications, technology, Dogtopia Foundation and overall pet parent experience. Shelley began her career with 10 years in the agency world, servicing a broad range of clients including Starbucks, Quiznos, Safeway, Mercedes-Benz, Sheraton and America West Airlines. She has since owned her own PR & marketing consulting company, served as vice president of marketing at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and managed marketing and investor relations in the biotechnology space. She lives in Phoenix with her husband Andy, two kids and Millie the Golden Retriever.

Mr. Malone has over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, Innovation and Technology Adoption, Business Relationship Management, Process Improvement, Audit, and Accounting.  He has worked in various roles for large retailers such as AutoZone, Ahold Delhaize and Nutrien. As the VP of IT for Dogtopia, Michael is responsible for defining and overseeing the technology used to enable Dogtopia’s business.

Alex has been in the franchise industry for 30 years.  He began his career in Operations, opening and running restaurants for Papa John’s Pizza before becoming a franchisee in 1996.  He was a franchisee for a total of 11 years: building opening and operating 34 restaurants in 4 years (nominated “Franchisee of the Year” three times).  In 2000, Alex was also the first franchisee for a mobile pet grooming concept and started his own franchise in the health & wellness industry in 2010.  Before joining Dogtopia in January2016, Alex had been an investor and consultant to emerging brands while serving on several Boards. Mr. Samios grew up in and around the franchise industry – his father was the first franchisee for Jiffy Lube.

Ms. Gulbranson has been our Finance Director since November 2019. She has 20 years of experience in business management, financial and operational consulting for various companies throughout diverse industries.

Prior to joining Dogtopia, Mr. Jones served as founder and CFO of OneMed Veterinary Services, a veterinary practice management firm in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he served in various finance and analytics roles with Afiniti, Intrepid Capital Partners and JPMorgan Chase.

Mr. Farnell has been Dogtopia's Senior Director of Operations since February of 2018. He has served in director and executive positions with franchise companies for the last 19 years. In that time he led teams and the opening of more than 100 units and supporting more than 165 existing units.

As Chief Experience Officer, Shelley Parnell manages Dogtopia’s external agencies and sets the strategic direction of the Company’s marketing, communications, technology, Dogtopia Foundation and overall pet parent experience. Shelley began her career with 10 years in the agency world, servicing a broad range of clients including Starbucks, Quiznos, Safeway, Mercedes-Benz, Sheraton and America West Airlines. She has since owned her own PR & marketing consulting company, served as vice president of marketing at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and managed marketing and investor relations in the biotechnology space. She lives in Phoenix with her husband Andy, two kids and Millie the Golden Retriever.

Prior to joining Dogtopia, Mr. Jones served as founder and CFO of OneMed Veterinary Services, a veterinary practice management firm in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he served in various finance and analytics roles with Afiniti, Intrepid Capital Partners and JPMorgan Chase.