137. Pet Evolution Founder/CEO Rian Thiele

Pet Evolution is a fast-growing pet supply chain that started with one locally owned store in Woodbury, Minn. back in 2012 and has really picked up steam in the last couple of years since it started franchising. There are now seven stores in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, and 15 nationally. By the end of the year, 24 are expected to be open, from New York to Oregon. In the $147 billion dollar pet industry, Rian Thiele saw a space between big box stores and mom and pop shops to create a chain focused on premium food and services. What’s perhaps most interesting about Thiele as an entrepreneur, is that he didn’t grow up thinking about business. He always dreamed of being a police officer, and worked for the Carver County sheriff’s department. He talks about the decision to leave his dream job to pursue a passion project and why he believes Pet Evolution can scale to 500 locations. Following our conversation with Thiele we go back to the classroom with the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business where Erica Diehn is an associate professor of management and faculty director for the undergraduate program. She talks about the growing frequency of career transitions, especially among younger professionals, and offers advice for managers whose employees are more likely than ever before to leave for a passion project. “Understand what motivates that employee, what kinds of opportunities for learning and growth and challenges at work could keep them really excited.”