Lisa St. Clair creates family environment at Tail Bangers

To say that Tail Bangers owner Lisa St. Clair doggedly goes after any opportunity to support her employees and strengthen her business would be a serious understatement of her determination. When Lisa was presented with a chance to sell her products to national company Pet Supplies Plus in Ohio, she jumped in her van and drove there. When she arrived, she learned one of the principals was in Michigan. Rather than reschedule the meeting, Lisa made her pitch in Ohio, got back in her van, and drove five more hours to Michigan. She sold both gentlemen on her pet treats, and customers can now find them in more than 650 stores across the country.

Lisa grew up making chocolate with her mom and thought a career in the restaurant industry was her destiny. She went to school at Johnson & Wales and worked in restaurants for a number of years. She decided there was a real opportunity to make a different kind of dog treat, so she joined up with a business partner and started making goodies in a shed on her property. Her business in Millsboro has grown substantially and now has a dedicated commercial kitchen where she creates treats that are made from human-grade materials and don’t look anything like other dog delicacies. They are sold with names like Canine Cannoli, Doggy Doughnuts and Barkin’ Biscotti. However, Lisa doesn’t just sell canine tidbits; she also sells a program that includes custom-designed cabinets, branded bags and a listing of all the ingredients that are sourced in the U.S. Lisa takes pride in her program because she has been able to maintain the feel of a small-town business instead of a national franchise.

COVID had a major impact on Tail Bangers, and that resulted in changes. When the pandemic first closed down her manufacturing business, Lisa decided to take her products retail. Initially, many of her employees were fearful of coming back to work; only nine of 55 workers returned. So, Lisa set about introducing changes that included making all meals for employees so they wouldn’t have to leave the safe environment she created using electrostatic cleaners, and she also began to clean all employee uniforms in house. Eventually, everyone returned, and her business has really taken off. A new building is under construction that will bring her total under-roof space to 20,000 square feet, plus an adjacent property that will house a 7,000-square-foot bakery. Later, Lisa plans to add a dedicated building and a water park for dogs that she hopes will be a destination for pet owners traveling to the beach. Her business has grown by about 15% year-over-year since she started.

Looking at all the success of Tail Bangers, Lisa knows it wouldn’t have happened without her employees. She is most proud of the fact that she provides health insurance and paid time off for her staff. She engages her people in key decisions and makes teamwork a priority. She knows her staff will make mistakes, just as she has, but she realizes that is how people grow and trusts them to truly run the business. As with all businesses, Lisa realizes there is a shortage of capable people to hire, but she hopes the emphasis on her team will differentiate her company from others and enable people to truly find a career at Tail Bangers.

Besides her staff, she also makes sure to support her local community. She provides broken treats to all shelters and rescue centers that want them, including others around the country. She also provides her treats for auctions in support of many local nonprofits. She supports Missy Traps, a local organization that helps rescue “discarded” pets and find them foster homes. As busy as Lisa is, she also finds time to foster pets and currently cares for five dogs, three cats and three horses. As Lisa remarked to me, “God sometimes works in strange ways, as I didn’t realize I needed the horses as much as they needed me.” Lisa said when she’s with a horse, she has to be in the moment, and it’s a wonderful way for her to find some peace and tranquility in her crazy schedule.

It’s remarkable to walk around Lisa’s business, see how treats originally made in her own kitchen are sold in more than 2,500 stores and campgrounds nationwide, and feel the great pride her employees have in what they do. So where does the name come from? From her own little dogs who banged their tails on the cabinets while waiting for one of Lisa’s special treats.