PetAbilities’ pet products are made by individuals with disabilities who use materials and a production process that is similar to the manufacturing of TAC’s cargo nets - which are used by the United States Air Force.
Bridget Doane, the Director of Development at TAC, explained that a few years ago TAC decided to make dog leashes for a fundraiser using excess nylon straps from the manufacturing of their cargo nets.
“They ended up being extremely popular with the people that were at the event,” Doane said.
TAC continued to manufacture the dog leashes and sold them at local events. Over the last four months, TAC has developed and manufactured additional pet products, Doane said.
“It just seemed like it really made sense with what we are already doing,” Doane added. “It’s a lot of the same process in terms of the sewing, cutting of the material and everything like that.”
PetAbilities will launch its national sales by being featured in a sale on Zulily.com from Wednesday, Aug. 12 through Saturday, Aug. 15. Their web store on TAC’s website will launch on Aug. 12.
Doane said the dog leashes come in various sizes and colors costing between $10 and $16. Collars are between $10 and $11, chew toys are around $11 and grooming aprons are around $35.
She added that this launch will give TAC the opportunity to “get our logistics and fulfillment in line and then will prepare us to expand into other e-commerce opportunities.”
Zahora explained that they hope to sell their pet products on Amazon and other platforms.
“We hope this is just the beginning of other products we can develop,” Zahora said. “We chose the pet product line because of the large worldwide market it has and our experience in sewing.”
TAC, a nonprofit organization, provides training and jobs to residents with disabilities. Recent expansions include TAC’s hydroponic greenhouse and a quick serve salad restaurant in COhatch The Market called Fresh Abilities.
“We are always looking for new opportunities for the individuals that we serve here to provide employment options for them,” Doane said.
She added, “Many people locally are familiar with TAC, our mission and the tremendous work that individuals with disabilities on our team do, but we look forward to sharing that story with the rest of the country as these products become available.”
For more information or updates on PetAbilities, search for TAC - The Abilities Connection on Facebook.
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