Stella & Chewy’s to expand Oak Creek headquarters
Pet food maker approved for two additions
A proposal to nearly double the size of natural pet food maker Stella & Chewy’s Oak Creek headquarters, and add 100 employees, has received city Plan Commission approval.
The company plans to build a 35,156square-foot addition to the west side and a 104,090-square-foot addition to the east side of the existing 164,007square-foot building, 111 W. Oakview Parkway.
The facility’s permanent and temporary production workers are anticipated to increase from 400 to 500 during three years following the expansion, according to a city Plan Commission report.
Stella & Chewy’s also has 75 office workers.
The expansion, which the Plan Commission approved Tuesday night, will include additional food production and shipping improvements on the east and a new freezer on the west.
The project will help Stella & Chewy’s operate more efficiently and “allow production capacity to keep up with current market demand and with some expansion capability,” according to the company’s proposal.
Also, a fenced dog run will be enlarged and relocated to the parcel at 101 W. Oakview Parkway.
Known as the Arf Bark Dog Park, it is “a popular amenity for Stella & Chewy’s employees,” the proposal said.
Stella & Chewy’s is named for company founder Marie Moody’s dogs.
Moody launched Stella & Chewy’s in 2003 in her apartment in Manhattan, where she worked as a fashion industry sales rep.
Moody had rescued a sick dog, Chewy, from an animal shelter.
On a veterinarian’s advice, Moody began feeding Chewy raw meat, fruit and vegetables. That nursed the dog back to health — and led Moody to start selling natural pet food to local stores.
She moved the company to her hometown of Muskego in 2006 before relocating in 2011 to a bigger building on Milwaukee’s south side.
Stella & Chewy’s continued growth led to a 2015 move to its current facility at OakView Business Park. The business park is west of South Howell Avenue and south of West Oakwood Road.