Anthony Mitchell joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school and served as an Amphibious Assault Vehicle operator primarily stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. After serving his four-year enlistment and then starting several small businesses, Mitchell’s friend and current business partner, Steve Garibell, came up with the idea to partner in a Hounds Town USA franchise. By Cindy Charette
Anthony Mitchell joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school and served as an Amphibious Assault Vehicle operator primarily stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Mitchell also completed one tour in Afghanistan, spent six months in Okinawa, Japan, and trained in South Korea. After serving his four-year enlistment and then starting several small businesses, Mitchell’s friend and current business partner, Steve Garibell, came up with the idea to partner in a Hounds Town USA franchise.
When the partners compared Hounds Town to competitors, the franchise’s impressive branding, operations, and startup costs caught their attention. Additionally, although they each had backgrounds in business, they did not have experience working with dogs, so the support of a franchise made the most sense.
Mitchell said: “After seeing how Hounds Town was run based on natural dog behavior from Mike Gould, Hounds Town Founder and veteran, we knew we had found the brand for us.” In 2018, Mitchell and Garibell opened Hounds Town Bergen in New Jersey.
With Mitchell and Garibell being dog lovers and business-oriented people, Mitchell said: “Truly believing you are running a unique business that really helps fill a need in the community is rewarding, especially since it is based on dogs, which any animal lover would feel strongly about.” He added: “Because the business is based on dog behavior, there is a specific reason behind everything that we do. This makes it much easier to understand the mission of the business, and explain any part of it to employees, customers or anyone in general.”
Furthermore, Mitchell said he appreciates how the military taught him about structure, discipline, and how to deal with stress while adapting and overcoming obstacles – which all help to set a strong foundation for any business owner. He said: “I think that the franchise model, in general, can be a great opportunity for veterans, as it pairs a veteran’s desire to start their own business with the support and guidance similar to the military.”
Hounds Town USA offers a 10% franchise fee discount to veterans.
Cindy Charette