The combined love for their Family as well as their family pets motivated Kevin and Nicole Richardson to turn that all love into a family business. Starting in 2017, PACKT makes waterproof collars, leashes, and harnesses for dogs.

“[Dogs] simply bring joy to the world around them. They’re so loving and caring and I know most of us could not imagine a world without them. They are family and the fact that so many adoptable dogs are euthanized in the U.S. is a travesty,” said Kevin Richardson.

The Richardson’s have three children, one of whom was born this past August, and three rescue dogs.

“Growing as a family while also trying to grow a business has been challenging and great all at the same time. It really does take balance and knowing when to put on a business hat versus a [parenting or spouse] hat,” Kevin said.

They were inspired by their first two rescue dogs, who loved to play in any water they could find — from mud puddles in the spring to ice puddles in the middle of winter. After multiple smelly collars, and not finding any high-quality waterproof alternatives, Kevin and Nicole decided to create one. After some research and development, they launched their first collar in 2017.

From the start, it’s been important to them to support animal rescues and adoption. In addition to running awareness campaigns, 5% of their net sales are donated to a featured animal rescue each fiscal quarter. Currently, proceeds are going to “Lola’s Lucky Day” in Houston, Texas. Typical donations per quarter are between $1,000 and $5,000 with over $37,000 having been donated in total thus far.

“We feel that the combination of monetary support and awareness-building can further improve the impact and hopefully motivate more people to consider rescuing a dog,” Kevin said.

There have been several iterations of their products, with the most recent line “Endeavor X3” released this fall. It is the result of a merger of their Ascent and Endeavor product lines, with the main improvements to quality and functionality being using a thicker, leather-like material, and upgrading hardware. They are also now offering special limited edition prints to their design options for the first time.

All of their products are U.S.-made, with production currently moving from Shirley back to Lunenburg, where it first moved in-house. They have also previously been made in Ohio.

“We have custom designed all of our products based on feedback from customers and our own experiences. Many brands have never changed from their original basic collar and leash. All of our waterproof gear has evolved and improved,” Kevin said.

All of their products have a two-year “chew warranty”, so if anything happens to the dog products — from chewing to accidental damage — they’ll replace it free of charge. A lifetime extended warranty is available.

“It really is a fulfilling feeling when you see pictures of customers wearing our products and expressing their satisfaction with the quality. We’ve accumulated over 900 five-star reviews and each one still puts a big smile on our face. A lot of thought, design, time, and testing goes into our products, so to see happy customers just makes all the dedication worth it,” Kevin said.

The Richardson’s moved to Lunenburg in 2013 and have loved their “house and the community since. We really enjoy the location and people in the area and feel it’s a great location to raise our family” and have a business, Kevin said.

Their extended families are “very supportive and think it is an exciting journey and business,” Kevin said.

Nicole’s family is local and has helped with production. Kevin’s family is from southern California, but they have enjoyed seeing the business grow from afar while making regular visits to Lunenburg to see their grandchildren.

The Richardson’s love to do things as a family and enjoy life together, including traveling across the country to visit Kevin’s family in an RV with the kids, dogs, and a bird.

Both Kevin and Nicole still have day jobs outside of PACKT. Kevin has an MBA and BSBA In Accounting and Finance and is a Director of Finance in a public consumer product company in Marlborough. Nicole holds an AA in Dental Hygiene and was a Dental Hygienist for eight years before having children, and currently is their “household general manager.”

Check out PACKT on their website and sign up for their mailing list at packtdogs.com.