The Baker Family’s Legacy of Innovation and Dedication
Learn how this family has been a powerful example of purpose-driven leadership over four generations.
Meet Michael Baker, a member of the esteemed Baker family, President and CEO at Pet Food Experts (PFX) and the newest subject of our WPA Visionaries: Leadership & Advice series. With deep roots in Rhode Island and the New England region, the Baker family has spent almost a century serving neighborhood pet retailers while building a culture of connection, service and shared purpose.
For Michael, continuing that tradition means making sure that all 1,000+ PFX employees share that same sense of commitment, too.
“Making [people] feel part of something bigger than themselves, and part of not just our organization, but my family, is the best way I can keep the legacy alive.”
Retail Roots, Real Perspective
One of the Bakers’ defining strengths is their unique position as a distributor that partners with pet retailers and vendors across America. This gives the PFX team firsthand insight into the daily realities of independent pet retail.
“I understand the challenges our customers face every day — we’re fighting for survival just like they are,” Michael explains. “And when PFX isn’t always perfect, my retail team lets me know, just like any of our regular customers would.”
This dual perspective keeps PFX grounded, empathetic and deeply aligned with the needs of neighborhood pet stores.
Innovation Born from Necessity
The Baker family’s transition from retail into distribution didn’t begin with a strategic blueprint. It was an act of survival.
As Michael recounts, earlier generations of the family business faced a simple but critical issue: imported products often arrived in quantities too large for customers. “We would have to split cases of 12 or 24, it was as simple as that,” he says.
That practical problem-solving eventually evolved into a full-scale distribution business, expanding from dry goods like bird and aquarium supplies to the pet food distribution PFX is known for today.
Choosing Vendor Partners with Care
As PFX has grown, so has the challenge of selecting the right brands to support neighborhood pet retailers.
Earlier this year, before PFX began a major integration project, the company launched several new brands, some of which achieved record-setting growth. But scaling successfully isn’t simple.
“As we’ve gotten bigger… it’s getting harder to start a brand from scratch,” he notes. “To do so, one region at a time, challenges our process. But that’s how we’ve gotten this far.”
That dedication to nurturing emerging brands is part of what sets PFX apart.
Focusing on the Future: Cold Chain
Looking ahead, Michael sees a significant opportunity in frozen pet nutrition.
“It continues to outpace growth in all the other categories,” he says. While still smaller than kibble, frozen is, in his words, “the top end of the food chain.”
Cold-chain distribution is complex, but PFX believes that mastering it will drive higher sales, more frequent consumer visits and stronger brick-and-mortar performance.
“If we can get that right… the future looks pretty bright to us.”
Giving Back and Staying Connected
Philanthropy has always been central to the Baker family. Michael estimates that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pounds of product are given to local organizations each year.
On a broader scale, Michael has been deeply involved with industry initiatives over the years, including serving on the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) board and supporting groups such as Pets in the Classroom.
PFX bills itself as a business for people as well as pets. Events like SUPERZOO only reinforce what he believes most: “The power of relationships is still what makes the pet industry stand out.” From single-store independents to national vendors, those connections remain at the heart of the industry — and at the heart of the Baker family story.
Discover more inspiring stories featured in our WPA Visionaries: Leadership & Advice series, and learn more about WPA’s mission to unite the pet community.