By Hannah Rom
Like many Ole Miss alumni, Chip Brown (BBA 99) always dreamed of turning his college hobby into a successful career.
“Two of my roommates had retrievers like me,” Brown said. “We spent a lot of time together training our dogs after class and on the weekends. We also enjoyed hunting, so we hunted together with our dogs. That’s really where my interest in pet care started. My idea of getting in the pet care business is rooted in those experiences in college.”
In high school, Brown remembers wanting to be a lawyer. The idea of making a career out of pet care didn’t cross the Memphis native’s mind until he arrived at Ole Miss and decided to major in business. He said some of those business classes, along with being a member of the club lacrosse team and Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, provided some of his favorite memories from Ole Miss.
Brown began a commercial real estate career after graduating and continued to train dogs as a hobby. In 2007, he decided to chase his college dream of establishing a pet care business. BrownDog Lodge opened its doors later that year in Memphis. BrownDog Lodge expanded to two different locations in Memphis as demand grew.
“I certainly wanted to be where I am now when I was in college, but it took about eight years before I finally pulled the trigger to get into the pet care business for a career. I am very pleased about where I am now,” he said.
Brown always desired to come back to Oxford, where it all started. In 2017, he sold his business in Memphis. In January 2019, DeltaDog Oxford was born. The name comes from the many days spent with his college friends and their dogs in the Mississippi Delta.
“I felt that Oxford could use the same type of high-quality pet care service as I provided in Memphis,” he said.
DeltaDog provide
s dog boarding, daycare, grooming and spa services.
“One thing we pride ourselves on at DeltaDog is transparency. We have webcams everywhere so customers can see their dog and know what’s going on behind the scenes. We give tours throughout our facility and have windows so you can see all the activities throughout the building.”
Brown admits that being in charge of a business that provides 24 hours a day service, 365 days out of the year is challenging. Despite its challenges, he finds his business very rewarding by its ability to make a positive impact on dogs and their owners.
“Not only are we running a business every day, but we’re also building relationships with our customers who appreciate the loving care we provide their dogs,” he said.
One of the short-term goals Brown has for DeltaDog is to be a bigger part of the Oxford community, where he believes it has been well received so far.
“Starting your own business can seem risky and scary to many people,” he said. “While it may be scary, the hardest part is deciding to step out there and try it. Once you commit to your business, the fear seems to fade and you can focus on the goal ahead of building your dream business. While some businesses do not always succeed, you can be quite proud that you took the chance to try something many people are often too afraid to do.”
