Video Case: Camp Bow WowInnovative Management for a Changing World

Nearly everyone who has been to camp has vivid memories of the woodsy adventure. In particular, the sights and sounds of the great outdoors leave a lasting impression on campers. There are the cabins, the camp counselors, the campfire treats, the wide open spaces, the incessant barking of the furry four-legged camp goerswell, at least these are the sights and sounds for visitors of Camp Bow Wow, the fastest-growing doggie day-care center in the United States.Founded little more than a decade ago by dog-lover Heidi Ganahl, Camp Bow Wow is a safe, happy place where people can take their pets when no one is home to care for them. For dog owners who work in the daytime, the Boulder, Colorado-based franchise offers premier doggie day-care services. For pets that need to stay a little longer, Camp Bow Wow has overnight boarding with spacious cabins and comfortable cots.Every day, the experienced counselors at Camp Bow Wow supervise dozens of canine campers. Pooches receive plenty of personal attention, including grooming, outdoor exercise, food, baths, and medical support. For overprotective owners who worry their pups might get homesick while they are away, the camp's Live Camper Cams enable anytime viewing of pet play-areas using the Camp Bow Wow app for iPhone.With more than 150 locations, Camp Bow Wow is one of the hottest franchise businesses in the nation. The pet-care service ranked No. 87 on Entrepreneur magazine's list of fastest-growing franchises in 2010, and the ranking is likely to go higher as new franchisees prepare for launch. Camp Bow Wow franchise owners receive three weeks of startup training, and individual camps get corporate support in the form of co-op advertising, a grand opening, and ongoing field operations and evaluations.Sue Ryan, a Camp Bow Wow franchisee from Colorado, knows the ins and outs of managing a doggie day camp. To help launch her business a few years ago, Ryan recruited experienced pet care worker Candace Stathis, who came on as a camp counselor. Ryan soon recognized that Stathis was a star performer with a natural ability to work with clients and pets alike, and today Stathis serves as the camp's general manager. "Candace is good with the dogs, good with the customers, good with the employees, and she can manage the administrative part of the operationshe does a little bit of everything," Ryan said of her managerial top dog.At Camp Bow Wow, store managers have distinct roles from camp counselors. Whereas counselors typically take care of dogs, answer phones, and book reservations, managers must know how to run all operations and mange people as well. "What I do," said Stathis, "is make sure all the operational stuff goes off without a hitchso, making sure that the dogs all get fed, that they get the meds when they're supposed to, that the staff is taking care of the dogs the way they are supposed to, and making sure that everybody is attentive to the pets. You're managing the dogs, but you're also managing the people."To keep camp running as efficiently as possible, Stathis maintains a strict daily schedule for doggie baths, nail trimmings, feedings, and play time. Staying on schedule is no easy task, especially during the busy holidays and summer monthsor whenever the pets get territorial. Stathis says that while dogs get in occasional tussles, all camp staff members are trained to handle such hairy situations. "It's part of the job; we are all really prepared to deal with it," says Stathis.When it comes to keeping dogs happy at play, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. "We try to separate the dogs first and foremost by temperament, and then by size," says Stathis. "We put an even amount of dogs in the yardssay, a couple high-energy dogs with low-energy dogsto try and balance the yards out." Other dog management strategies at Camp Bow Wow include the 15 to 1 dog-to-counselor ratio and the preliminary meet-and-greet, where pets are screened for vaccinations and spay and neuter status.

For franchise owner Sue Ryan, having competent management running the camp equals less worry and more personal relaxationperhaps even more time to go on safari in Africa. For Candace Stathis, however, good management is simply about doing the work she loves. "I love the people, I love the dogs, and I wouldn't change anything for the world," Stathis says.

1. What are some of the key skills required to be an effective manager at a Camp Bow Wow franchise?

2. Briefly explain how the Camp Bow Wow franchise in Boulder, Colorado, changed its organizational structure to better serve the firm's needs.