Polk Miller Sure Would be Proud.

It isn’t every day that you get to celebrate a brand new corporate office and production plant. And it isn’t every day that you celebrate this for a company that is 144 years old. And it certainly isn’t every day that the Governor, Mayor, Commissioner and Chamber of Commerce all roll in to join you. But, most of all, it isn’t every day that you have a GIANT Golden Doodle and a MAGNIFICENT Black Lab join you, along with two celebrity bloggers! But today was that day for us at Sergeant’s!

Today was the official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on our new corporate headquarters and production facility here in sunny Omaha, Nebraska. Yes, sunny. Well, sometimes. Unfortunately not today, but that just meant that we could enjoy our shining, proud moment in our beautiful new entry atrium and show off the fantastic pet art that adorns our lobby!

Moses the Dog (accompanied by none other than his person, Pam Baldwin) and Nestle, along with his person, Shanna Stichler, were welcomed guests. The Mayor of Omaha even included Moses in his speech! (Moses, true to his gentle character and diplomatic training, refused to divulge his party affiliation when put on the spot in front of the entire crowd – good move, Moses!) In addition to all of the dignitaries, executives and canine friends were about 150 Sergeant’s employees. Guests were treated to a full tour of the new facilities, including the sparkling new production plant, where we make our flea and tick products, our healthcare products and our grooming shampoos.

Our CEO, Bob Scharf, really said it best when he spoke. “Our biggest asset is not brick and mortar,” he said. “It is the people who made it happen.  Sergeant’s was able to take this step due to the hard work and dedication of our employees.” We’re very proud of our team here at Sergeant’s – proud that we are able to develop, produce and deliver some of the very best pet products in the U.S. (Oh, and we would say very best pet products around the globe as well, but we don’t want to brag!)

For those of you who don’t know, Sergeant’s story started some 144 years ago, back in 1868. A pharmacist by the name of Polk Miller loved his dog, Sergeant, immensely. He put his pharmacy knowledge to use to create medicines and treatments for Sergeant to keep him in tip top health. Soon, Polk’s friends and neighbors started asking for the products, and the rest is history – right up to this very ribbon-cutting-and-speech-making-day. We believe that Polk would be very proud of his company today, and the many people who are part of it. (We’re pretty sure Sergeant would be thrilled with our tasty treats, too!)

For more interesting facts about Sergeant’s history, along with some fabulous old vintage ads, check out our interactive history timeline here. An even more expanded timeline will be up by the end of the month with our new timeline design on Facebook as well! My personal favorite fact: that Sergeant’s was the official supplier of pet foods and medicines to the entire sled dog team on Commander Richard Byrd’s Expedition to Antarctica in 1928!

By the way, if you happen to be in the Omaha area, we sure have A LOT OF NEW JOBS to fill! And yes, we promise to share more great photos of the event in the next couple of days.

Were you at the event? Do you love Sergeant’s? Tell us all about it!