Trucking exec rolls into career change with new mobile pet grooming business – Richmond BizSense

A local executive has traded trucking for a vehicle-based business of a different breed.

Meredith Mexal recently launched Happy Tails RVA, which offers mobile pet grooming services as well as dog walking and pet sitting.

Mexal started Happy Tails after a 20-year corporate career in technology consulting, finance leadership, and most recently as a senior vice president at trucking company Daseke. She also had stints at Estes Express Lines and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Mexal took a buyout following Daseke’s acquisition earlier this year by TFI International. The self-described pet lover saw an opportunity to launch a business of her own that catered to people’s furry friends.

“I’ve always been a pet lover and cared about the animals,” said Mexal, whose family has three dogs and a bearded dragon. “One of the things I love about this business is people can disagree on a lot of things, but everyone loves pets. And the thing that’s been the most fun for me is this is such a positive way to go about your day.”

Meredith Mexal

Happy Tails provides grooming services with a pair of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, which range across the region to bathe dogs and cats. The company also offers ear cleaning and nail trimming, among other services.

Mexal said the vehicles, fully outfitted with grooming equipment, each cost $130,000 and were purchased from Indiana-based Wag’n Tails. Mexal estimated that she spent $100,000 in startup costs for items such as marketing, website development and vehicle down payments.

Happy Tails started to see customers in October and has a service area that extends from around Ashland to Chesterfield, and from Goochland and Powhatan eastward to New Kent.

A bath-and-blowout package starts at $60 for dogs and $80 for cats, according to the company’s website. A 20-minute walk is $25. A typical overnight pet sitting stay is $130 a day.

Happy Tails has six full-time groomers as well as some part-time employees. The company’s vans operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Looking forward, Mexal plans to grow the business with the launch of an online retail store and potentially telehealth veterinary care. She said that by the end of 2025, she hopes to have five vans operating in the region.

She’s betting that with a range of services, Happy Tails can become a preferred provider for pet care and differentiate itself from competitors.

“I think there are a lot of people operating in Richmond who are groomers or pet sitters and don’t do both,” she said. “I think there are a lot of really busy people who want high-quality care for pets in a convenient way.”