December Customer of the Month: Dog Gone Shack

Dog Gone Shack has been a family-owned and operated petroleum company by the Fikes since the late 1940s/ early 1950s. The current owner, Tim, hired Chuck to run the propane side of the business back in 2005. They had nothing to do with dog food or animal feed of any sort, just petroleum and propane until Chuck came along.

Chuck was an avid coon hunter with hounds of his own. He had fed Hi-Standard to them for years after trial and error with other brands. Chuck and his friends loved the way their dogs performed on Hi-Standard so much they would drive an hour and a half just to get it because they couldn’t find it anywhere. They enjoyed the consistency of quality from Hi-Standard. They knew they would get greatness every single time.
There were many other coon hunters he knew that liked the feed for their hounds as well, so he talked to Tim about selling it since they had the space. Then they both reached out to Wade and talked about placing an order to start selling Hi-Standard Dog Food.

“Once the first truck load came in, I’m not going to lie, I was kind of nervous,” Chuck said.

However, they would soon learn that there were more people than they even thought that wanted Hi-Standard, some even buying it by the pallet.
Their next big goal was to make it more accessible to people who lived farther away, so they started picking up dealers from all over, some from even an hour to an hour and a half away from them. Just like with the petroleum and propane side of the company, they pride themselves on their customer service and making sure all their customers get their orders on time and intact. James Brady is a huge part of making sure all orders are correct and get to the customers on time. He is a big part of making sure the whole operation works smoothly.

As they continued to grow and spread awareness, they started noticing that it wasn’t just mostly hunters buying Hi-Standard anymore. They started noticing more pet owners buying the food for their dogs even though they weren’t performance dogs or athletes- they were just pets. The word was spreading so much about the consistency and quality of the food that even their customer base had evolved.

“The greatest thing about Hi-Standard is the fact it’s so consistent. The quality is great every single time. And compared to other brands, the price is great. Whether your dog is an athlete or just an old dog that lays around all day, Hi-Standard has a formula for them.” – Chuck

“Tim and Chuck have been loyal Hi-Standard distributors going on 20 years now. We appreciate all their hard work, loyalty and most of all; their support throughout the years. We look forward to another 20 years of growing with them.” – Wade Graskewicz, owner

November Customer of the Month: Brubaker Grain & Chemical

Brubaker Grain & Chemical was created back in 1975 by Darrell and Yvonne Brubaker, with just one small location serving the local community with livestock feed, chemicals, and other farming supplies. They opened their second facility with the larger retail store and feed mill in 1982. Then in 1992, they bought a third location in Hamilton, OH where they recently remodeled and added another 2,500 sq. ft. Then, in 2009 they opened their fourth location, and in 2018 they bought their fifth location. In just over 30 years this family has grown exponentially, serving the local communities with farming supplies, feed, and so much more. When asked about what’s to owe to all their family’s success, Greg Bubaker says this, “When you care about the community and take care of the people in it, everything just kind of naturally happens”.

It wasn’t until 1982 when Brubaker got involved in selling more products than just farm supplies, such as dog food. It’s been almost eight years since they started carrying Hi-Standard Dog Food. Although it was a slow start, only getting about a ton a month, with the help of our salesman Ryan Rushing, our owner Wade Graskewicz, and the rest of our sales support; we helped them grow from one ton a month of Hi-Standard to almost 22 tons a month in Hi-Standard. We helped set them up with open houses, events, and trade shows to get their name out there along with helping them build relationships. They followed through by continuing to educate their employees about the feed so they can educate the customers and help them make a decision when picking dog food. They are passionate about making sure the customer is informed about the dog food so that way they can make the best decision. The Hi-Standard decision.

“Greg and his team at Brubaker Grain & Chemical have became a top distributor for the west Indiana / Ohio area. Their tonnage grows more and more each year and we look forward to growing with such a great family business in the years to come.” – Wade Graskewicz, owner

October Customer of the Month: New Bedford Sportsmen Supply

Andy has been around dog food his whole life. When he was 15, he worked at a feed mill where they made and sold all types of feed for animals (along with dog food). Before that, he worked on a farm. Then, in 1994, he decided to go out on his own and run his own feed store. This was the beginning of his outdoor sport and feed store, New Bedford Sportsmen Supply. New Bedford Sportsmen Supply is a family run business that as well as selling Hi-Standard Dog Food, sells an abundance of outdoor gear. Andy, his wife, and his two sons help run the shop. 

At first, Andy did not sell Hi-Standard. He sold a different dog food brand. However, after being unhappy with the service, he called Wade after seeing an ad in the American Cooner magazine. He asked Wade about the dog food and he asked if he could try it on his dogs first before he started selling it. So, he fed it to his dogs and they absolutely loved it. So he told Wade to send a trailer over because he knew he had to have that feed in his store. His two sons actually kennel dogs and they now use Hi-Standard as well. Since the Fall of 2001, Andy and his family have been loyal Hi-Standard supporters. 

“When I started back in 1998, I was manufacturing in Missouri. After a couple years I moved my manufacturing to Ohio. I was having a hard time gaining distributors and moving product. Then one day, out of the blue, I get a call from Andy. He explained that he wasn’t happy with his current dog food brand he was selling and asked me questions about Hi-Standard. After he tried it himself, we were sending a trailer every week packed with Hi-Standard Dog Food. Andy is very well respected in the community and so when people saw him selling Hi-Standard Dog Food, they wanted to sell it too. We were getting calls left and right from people asking how they could start selling Hi-Standard, and it was all thanks to Andy. Andy is responsible for much of our growth in our early days and we are very appreciative of his support throughout the years. We look forward to the future with New Bedford Sportsmen Supply.” – Wade Graskewicz, owner

September Customer of the Month: WJ’s Distributing LLC

WJ’s Distributing LLC, located at 17211 Fredericktown, OH 43019, started back in 2003 when two friends came together and made an idea turn into reality. Wid Shipley has always been a dog lover, having a few of them as pets. Jim Howes shared the same love for dogs as he not only had them as pets, but hunting dogs as well. Another thing they both shared was their love for Hi-Standard Dog Food. They had heard about the brand before, and once they tried it with their dogs, they (AND their dogs) couldn’t get enough of it. It was at this time Jim came to Wid and told him they should start selling the dog food to the community, so everyone could experience how great it was. Wid was reluctant at first, especially since they had to order such a large amount at a time. However, before they could even get all the dog food stored in Wid’s warehouse, they had almost half of it sold. They continued going to local businesses, kennels, and even families to sell the dog food. And that’s how WJ’s Distributing LLC was born. 

Since then, Wid runs the business himself, as Jim has recently retired. Wid is still working hard, making sure everyone in the community is getting Hi-Standard Dog Food. Wid’s sons Mason and Jamison are a huge help in keeping the company going. When they aren’t busy with their day jobs working in construction, they are helping their dad load, unload, sort, and even occasionally go on deliveries with their father. Even though they often have to work late or on the weekends, they all enjoy making sure the community is stocked in Hi-Standard Dog Food. 

If you are interested in buying or even selling Hi-Standard in the central Ohio area, contact Wid Shipley at (740) 390-0010

“We have a very long history working with Wid at WJ Distributing LLC. Wid is great to work with; he is a very hard worker and is very passionate and loyal to Hi-Standard Dog Food. He does an amazing job selling Hi-Standard in central Ohio and is one of our top distributors in that region. We are very thankful to have him a part of our Hi-Standard family” – Wade Graskewicz, CEO and owner of Hi-Standard Dog Food