64. Finley's Founders Angie and Kyle Gallus

Special education teacher Angie Gallus made dog treats in class with her students as a way to help them learn job skills. They would bake, package, and sell to friends and family. When Angie reunited with a couple of former students who hadn’t been able to find jobs after graduation, she and her husband Kyle, also a special ed teacher, decided to fire up the oven again. The combination of producing treats that dogs love and creating jobs for individuals with disabilities made the Galluses realize: “There’s something bigger here.” On the spot, a company was born. They named it Finely’s after their own pocket shepherd. Brand motto: “Treat with kindness.” That was 2016. For the first two years, they worked nights and weekends with their former students, and sold the treats at farmer’s markets, breweries, and online. Then came their viral accelerator: Ashton Kutcher heard about Finley’s commitment to being an inclusive employer. His A Plus news site published a story, which the actor/entrepreneur shared on his own social media, and the orders poured in. It prompted the Galluses to professionalize their packaging and step up manufacturing, paving the way for partnerships with regional grocers and pet specialty stores. Toward the end of 2019, after three years of bootstrapping the brand, they raised a $650,000 seed round through friends and angels—many of whom the Galluses say have children with disabilities and deeply appreciated the brand’s mission. They were poised to begin 2020 with a launch in the Pacific Northwest. But before the product could reach shelves, stores shut down due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Seattle. Flush with product, Finley’s pivoted to online, launching on Chewy.com and then Target.com. They also sell through Amazon. The pandemic turned out to be a great time to scale a dog treat brand. U.S. pet industry sales exceeded $100 billion for the first time ever in 2020 with pet food and treat sales leading the pack at $42 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association. That wasn’t