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Mark & Patty Daly and
Pam & George Gates
Owners
Land of Paws
In October
of 1994, George and Pam Gates, along with their partners, Mark and
Patty Daly, began discussing the idea of opening a full service pet store
next
to their veterinary practice in Corinth Square. Pet Land had occupied
the space for several years, but the partners envisioned something different. "We felt the space would be great for a pet-friendly boutique,"
says Pam Gates, "a place where the discriminating pet owner could
shop for gifts and supplies, have their pet groomed or purchase a hand
selected, pure-bred puppy. We wanted to create a store that would reflect
the warmth and affection people feel for their pets."
As the
idea began to take shape, the four sat down to lunch to discuss the idea
with Grant Burcham from Missouri Bank. "I remember he asked us if
we had prepared a business plan,"George Gates recalls, "We hadn’t,
so right there, together, we sketched one out on the back of a napkin!
I think after that Grant was convinced of our enthusiasm for the business."
At Missouri
Bank, we tend to buy into the person as much as we do their idea or their
business. Personal credit is important. So is passion. We also consider
ourselves good judges of character. It’s a people business as much
as anything else and when we meet people who have demonstrated past financial
responsibility, have enthusiasm and passion for their business and have
the determination to make it happen—we want to work with them.
Land
of Paws met all of those criteria. So with the help of a business plan
sketched on the back of a napkin, the business became a reality.
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