The other morning I had the opportunity to catch up with my former manager and mentor Brad Stevens. At the end of 2009, Brad left Starbucks after seven years with the company where he served as vice president of U.S. Marketing and their first head of Customer Relationship Management, to join Mud Bay, a provider of healthy food, supplements, and supplies for dogs and cats.

I was excited to talk with Brad about his role as Executive Vice President of Stores and Sales for Mud Bay and to learn more about Mud Bay’s marketing activities. As EVP of Stores and Sales, Brad oversees four areas: store operations, marketing, category education and research.

Brad explained one of the reasons he is excited about joining Mud Bay, which operates 17 stores in the greater Puget Sound area, surrounds the powerful emotional connections people have with their pets and the specialty store’s commitment to helping dogs and cats lead long healthy lives.

“There is a growing awareness and appreciation for the importance of a healthy and nutritious diet for dogs and cats,” says Brad. “Oftentimes, common issues like hair balls in cats or itchy skin patches on dogs can be linked back to what they are eating. We have many examples of a customer consulting with our in-store specialists and altering a pet’s diet, and within a week or two, the animal is feeling better.”

According to Brad, experts’ understanding of the dietary needs of animals has really progressed over the years. “As a result, there is now an amazing array of nutritional formulas available for specific breeds. This is good because the nutritional needs of a tiny Chihuahua versus a Great Dane are significantly different.”

In terms of marketing, Mud Bay relies heavily on word of mouth. The retailer has a loyal group of customers who often refer friends and family to the store. One such customer is Jackie Barry, who has a 9-year-old Lynx Point cat, named Sushe, and has been shopping at Mud Bay for about 15 years.

Barry started out buying just cat toys and luxury pet items, but now purchases all of Sushe’s food and cat litter at Mud Bay. “Sushe was a very picky eater,” explains Barry. “I went to Mud Bay because the store provides descriptions of the different brands of cat food along with information about why some breeds of cats respond better to different ingredients.”

The people at Mud Bay gave Barry five or six little samples of food to try on Sushe. Barry continues, “I was able to find one that he loves. I trust the products I buy at Mud Bay. Finally, I have to say the people who work at Mud Bay also seem more engaged in serving their customers than people who work in the big box stores.”

In addition to relying on word-of-mouth marketing to drive business, the retailer also has a fan page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/mudbay/) and has strong relationships with veterinarians and other experts to generate awareness and drive demand for its products.

Brad’s new position sounds like a lot of fun. Clearly, the company is poised for continued success because it offers high-quality products, it employs informed and passionate people in their stores (and on the management team), and the category is growing as consumers become more aware of the link between healthy food and their pet’s health. It will be fun to watch the evolution of this business.

If you have a perspective on Mud Bay, I would love to hear from you!