Marco's Story

Marco Giannini has come a long way from living on his parents’ couch in San Francisco and selling his healthy functional dog treats from his car.  One of Marco’s first role models was his grandfather, who operated grocery stores in the Bay Area. His mother, part owner in a promotional products business, encouraged his entrepreneurial spirit and Marco pursued his dreams by enrolling at the University of Southern California, where he completed his MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurial Studies.  In 2003, while working on his MBA, he received the Best Business Plan Award and the Marcia Israel Curley Award for “excellence in entrepreneurship.”

Armed with his first award-winning business plan, Marco initially tried his hand in the beverage industry with “Clear Day,” a functional beverage supplemented with glucosamine and chrondroitin.  Although the drink was not successful, through the process, Marco became intrigued with the benefits of nutritional products.
 

Growing up, Marco had a white German shepherd named Emily that developed hip dysplasia. The difficult and unpleasant experience of giving his dog pills inspired Marco to create a new solution.  Marco realized that there were no functional products in the pet world and wanted to apply the concept to pet treats. In 2003, using his vast knowledge in the pet arena, past personal experience and his entrepreneurial background, Marco created DOGSWELL®.

Marco is still heavily involved in the business on a day-to-day basis as the President and CEO of DOGSWELL®.  In addition to guiding the management team, maintaining strong relationships with DOGSWELL® distributors and retailers, Marco can often be found visiting stores and speaking to consumers about pets, Trojan football and anything in between.