In this blog, you get to see a lot of good research going on and learn about our travels across the country. But behind all this fun is the hard work that takes place in front of a computer, in meetings and through group efforts that plan and organize our path. Last week, our Purina Horse Business Group met in St. Louis to set our 3 year plan. For two days we sequestered ourselves in the Moonrise Hotel, shut off our cell phones (OK only some of us did that) and set our action plan. We reviewed our current R&D lineup, talked about the future, and discussed challenges to horses, horse owners and the business itself. The equine industry is different than it was even just 2 years ago and its important that we are all paying attention and determining our next steps. With this knowledge, we can better set our research priorities. Our indepth projects literally take years to go from concept, through R&D and finally to a product so it is imperative that we plan, plan, plan and made good choices in what we are developing. In the room we had 4 equine nutrition PhDs, 1 equine DVM, our horse research manager, our process research manager and 6 marketing folks that cover everything from business leadership to ads, to websites, to sponsorhip to new product offerings, to sales displays, etc. Of all these brainiacs in the meeting, we collectively own 28 horses! So it's not all business and numbers and new products; we all have a passion for horses and for creating products that make a difference in the health of the horse and the lives of the people who own them. For this group, its not just about Purina, its personal.
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