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Petplan Pet Insurance - North America
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryPet Insurance
Founded11 September 2003; 21 years ago (2003-09-11)
FoundersChris and Natasha Ashton
Headquarters101 Greenwich St.,
New York City, New York
,
USA
Area served
United States and Canada
Key people
Paul Guyardo (CEO)
Number of employees
200+
ParentAllianz
Websitegopetplan.com

Petplan Pet Insurance - North America is a New York City-based pet insurance company, providing insurance for pet owners to cover veterinary bills.

History

Founding

Petplan was founded in September 2003 by husband and wife entrepreneurs Chris and Natasha Ashton. They met at Oxford University, where they both received their Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees.[1]

Prior to moving to the United States in 2001 to continue their graduate school education, Chris spent seven years serving as an officer in the British Royal Marines, while Natasha spent several years working for a Greek manufacturing company and an international information technology recruitment firm. She also launched a small import business in the United Kingdom.[2]

In July 2001, the Ashtons moved to Philadelphia with their Birman cat, Bodey, to begin working toward their MBAs at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.[3] Not long afterward, Bodey became ill, and the end result was a veterinary bill for $5,000. Already saddled with student debt, the Ashtons had to juggle credit cards and move to a smaller apartment to pay for Bodey's care.[4]

The experience – along with the knowledge that in the Ashtons’ native Britain, nearly a quarter of pets are insured – gave them with an idea for a business plan.[5] They submitted their plan, for a pet insurance company called PAWS, to the 2003 annual Wharton Business Plan Competition, and were part of the team that won the $20,000 grand prize.[2]

That fall, the Ashtons incorporated Fetch Inc., which in November 2003 was awarded the exclusive license for the Petplan brand in the United States. The affiliation with Petplan UK allowed Petplan - North America to access more than 30 years of actuarial data.[6]

Early Growth

The company took some time to get on its feet. By July 2005, the Ashtons were in debt, relying on investors and venture capital to get the company off the ground.[7] That same month, Petplan secured American National Property and Casualty Company (ANPAC) to underwrite its policies in the United States. A year later, in July 2006, the company began selling its first policies.[8]

Soon after, Chris Ashton approached the Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship program for advice on a national marketing plan and was directed to visiting lecturer Alan Abrahams, who assigned Petplan as a data-mining test case to his students.[9] The students' work helped determine marketing strategies for the company, providing information on potential areas of interest.

Also in 2006, through their Wharton network, the Ashtons met Shirley and Vernon Hill, Commerce Bank founders (who now operate Metro Bank in England) and major donors to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, along with Hill's banking client, Brian Tierney, the advertising and public relations agency owner who was an entrepreneur-in-residence at Wharton that year.[3] Hill added Petplan as an employee benefit at Commerce, and Tierney offered marketing advice. Travelocity, S.C. Johnson & Son and other employers followed Commerce, boosting Petplan's early sales.[3]

By July 2007, the company was seeing double-digit growth each month, and was up to 10 employees. But then, Chris Ashton shattered his ankle and broke two ribs in a household accident. He endured several surgeries and six months of rehabilitation before he walked again. Complications from blood clots sent him back to the hospital twice.[10]

After the accident, the Ashtons realized they had to create a stronger internal structure, and they needed partners to do it.[10] With Chris still on crutches, they met with Hill in January 2008. Four months later, Petplan announced that Hill was the new chairman of the board.[11]

Expansion

In an effort to grow consumer awareness and strengthen ties to the veterinary community, Petplan launched fetch!, a glossy quarterly pet health magazine, in November 2008.[12]

In March 2010, Petplan partnered with Allianz, the world's largest property and casualty insurer, to underwrite their policies throughout the United States. and Canada.[13]

In April 2010, Chris and Natasha Ashton were named to the Philadelphia Business Journal's prestigious annual "40 Under 40" list.[14]

In August 2011, Petplan became the first pet insurance company named to Inc. Magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing companies in America. Coming in at No. 123, Petplan was recognized for tripling its workforce and growing its gross written premiums by more than 2,200 percent over the previous three years, despite the challenging economic climate.[15]

In October 2011, Smart CEO magazine selected Petplan as a recipient of its 2012 "Future 50 Awards," which celebrate the Philadelphia region's 50 fastest-growing companies based on employee and revenue growth over the past three years.[16]

In July 2012, Natasha Ashton began writing a regular column featured on the Huffington Post dealing with topics related to pet health.[17]

Meanwhile, the employee count was also expanding, up to 40 by the beginning of 201.,[15] The office itself has had to grow to accommodate the staff, so in 2010, Petplan acquired an adjacent suite and broke through the wall to roughly double the square footage.

To further accommodate its growing staff, in August 2013, Petplan relocated to a 27,000 square-foot office space in Ellis Preserve, located in Newtown Square in Delaware County, PA. The company currently employs over 200 people.[18]

In April 2017, Petplan formed a new partnership with XL Specialty Insurance Company, a member of XL Catlin (rated A+ S&P), with policies in some areas of the United States still covered by Allianz and AGCS Marine Insurance Company, a member of the Allianz Group.[19]

Products

Pet Insurance

Petplan extended its coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new service covered treatment of a covid-infected pet, boarding of a pet if an owner was infected, adding a pet guardian to a plan, and all virtual vet visits.[20]

fetch! magazine

In November 2008, Petplan launched fetch! magazine, a glossy quarterly pet health magazine filled with veterinarian-authored and -reviewed content. A subscription to fetch! magazine is included with every pet insurance policy issued by Petplan. Each issue is uniquely themed, and the article topics developed for each issue apply to both dog and cat owners.

fetch! magazine has won several awards, including a Stevie Award from the American Business Association for Best In-House Publication,[21] and a Vetty Award from the Animal Health Marketing Awards for the "Winter Wonderland" issue in 2017.[22]

Partners

Capital BlueCross

In late October 2011, Capital BlueCross announced it would begin selling Petplan pet insurance to its members. Premiums, deductibles and coverage levels are paid by plan members, and the policies are administered electronically by Petplan.[3]

Philanthropic Efforts and Relationships

Tournament of Tails

In 2014, Petplan started Tournament of Tails to help raise money and awareness for animal shelters across the United States. Based on the concept of NCAA March Madness brackets, Tournament of Tails helps bring awareness to shelter animals by creating a mock competition in which site visitors vote for 32 shelter pets based on their pictures and stories. Winners move on to the next round, and the last remaining contestant takes home $5,000 for their shelter. Petplan makes additional donations for every participating shelter, with each earning more as their contestants move up the bracket. In 2017, the Tournament garnered 261,496 votes with many of the contestants finding homes.[23]

Hurricane Harvey

In August 2017, Petplan pledged $30,000 to support animal rescue operations in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The $30,000 donation was equally distributed among Best Friends Animal Society®, The Humane Society of the United States and North Shore Animal League America, with each receiving $10,000 to further their rescue efforts.[24]

Danny Shelton

In 2017, Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Danny Shelton was recognized by Petplan for his generous work in the shelter community, along with his unwavering love of animals and responsible pet parenting practices. In August 2017, Shelton contributed an additional $25,000 with Petplan to support rescue efforts in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Harvey in Texas.[24]

Recognition

  • April 2010: Chris and Natasha Ashton both named to the Philadelphia Business Journal's annual "40 Under 40" list.[14]
  • August 2011: Petplan is named No. 123 on Inc. Magazine's Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies in America.[15]
  • October 2011: Chris and Natasha Ashton named to SmartCEO magazine's "Future 50" list.[16]
  • October 2011: Chris and Natasha Ashton, along with chairman Vernon Hill, are featured in a Fortune magazine article and blog post titled, "A Health Care Plan for Fido."[25]
  • November 2012: Petplan Chairman Vernon Hill on CNN's Mad Money with Jim Cramer.
  • February 2013: Petplan is featured on the Forbes America's Most Promising Companies List.
  • October 2016: Petplan is named one of the "Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America" by Entrepreneur magazine's 2016 Entrepreneur 360™ List.
  • December 2016: Chris and Natasha Ashton named to Philadelphia Business Journal's "Most Admired CEO" List.[26]
  • October 2017: Natasha Ashton is named one of Main Line Today Magazine's "Women on the Move."[27]

References

  1. ^ St Edmund Hall, Oxford
  2. ^ a b "The Truth about Cats and Dogs: They're Costly," Wharton Newsletter, Spring 2003. http://wep.wharton.upenn.edu/newsletter/spring03/paws.html
  3. ^ a b c d "PhillyDeals: Blue Cross plan adds pet insurance from Philly firm," Philly.com and Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 25, 2011. http://articles.philly.com/2011-10-25/business/30320407_1_pet-insurance-petplan-capital-blue-cross
  4. ^ "Reinvent With a Pet Business," More.com, Nov. 7, 2011. http://www.more.com/pet-business-dog-daycare-cat-business
  5. ^ "Affording a PET Scan – for Your Dog," Knowledge@Wharton Today, Oct. 25, 2011. http://knowledgetoday.wharton.upenn.edu/2011/10/affording-a-pet-scan-for-your-dog/
  6. ^ "Philadelphia Inquirer, Daniel Rubin, Tackling health-insurance crunch - for pets," InsuranceNewsNet.com, April 26, 2010. http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=183394&type=annuity
  7. ^ "When Entrepreneurs Risk It All and Lose," New York Times, July 7, 2005. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/business/07sbiz.html?pagewanted=print
  8. ^ "Pooch protection: Firm finds pet insurance is catching on," Boston.com, Nov. 26, 2006. http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2006/11/26/pooch_protection_firm_finds_pet_insurance_is_catching_on/
  9. ^ "Dogging the Data," Wharton Newsletter, Spring 2007. http://wep.wharton.upenn.edu/newsletter/spring07/doggingthedata.html
  10. ^ a b "Managing Growth at a Pet-Insurance Business," Bloomberg Business Week, April 24, 2009. http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/apr2009/sb20090424_736844.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_small+business
  11. ^ "Former Commerce Bancorp leader Hill joins pet insurance company," Philadelphia Business Journal, April 10, 2008. http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/04/07/daily38.html
  12. ^ "The Challenge of Branching Out," Financial Times, April 3, 2010. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/07caa5a8-9f28-11df-8732-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1e4Pq78HH
  13. ^ "Petplan USA," World Insurance Companies. http://worldinsurancecompanies.com/index.php/insurance/petplan-usa/
  14. ^ a b "Celebrate the 2010 40 Under 40," Philadelphia Business Journal, May 2010. http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/event/13301
  15. ^ a b c "The Inc. 500," Inc. Magazine, August 2011. http://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/petplan
  16. ^ a b "It's a Dog's World," Philadelphia SmartCEO magazine, October 2011. http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0ce26b66?page=10
  17. ^ "Pets Make Us Better," Huffington Post, July 23, 2012. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pets-benefits_b_1695821.html
  18. ^ "Cool Offices: Petplan". Philadelphia Business Journal. December 19, 2016. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  19. ^ "Petplan Revamps Policy Options". Philadelphia Business Journal. September 15, 2016. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  20. ^ Petplan is extending coverage to members amid coronavirus pandemic, retrieved 2020-07-22
  21. ^ "Stevie Awards | Publication Awards". stevieawards.com. 2014. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  22. ^ "The VETTYs' Winners Revealed at the NAVC Conference 2017". www.thevettys.com. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  23. ^ "Petplan Pet Insurance Names its Tournament of Tails Bracket Winners". Pet Age. April 5, 2017. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  24. ^ a b Reeder, Jen (August 31, 2017). "These Awesome Nonprofits Are Helping Pets Affected By Hurricane Harvey". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  25. ^ "A health care plan for Fido," Fortune magazine, Oct. 31, 2011. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2012-08-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ^ "Introducing the 2016 Most Admired CEOs". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-08-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ "2017 Women on the Move: Natasha Ashton, Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Chief Marketing Officer, Petplan". Main Line Today. October 2017. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
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