Central Garden & Pet Teams Up with Code 3 Associates and Tony Stewart to Honor and Support Our Troops

Download as PDF

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Central Garden & Pet and its partner, Code 3 Associates, brought NASCAR® legend Tony Stewart and the men and women of the Naval Submarine Base New London together for an unforgettable day. Prior to arriving at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for last Sunday’s Sylvania 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Tony Stewart spent time with the submariners and received a VIP tour of the base in Groton, Connecticut. The visit was coordinated by Central and Code 3 Associates, who has been a partner of Stewart and his race team, Stewart-Haas Racing, since 2012. Stewart and his foundation have long supported animal related causes including Code 3, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing professional animal disaster response and resources to communities, as well as providing professional training to individuals and agencies involved in animal-related law enforcement and emergency response.

Joining Stewart on the tour of the base was John Ranelli, President and CEO of Central Garden & Pet Company. “Along with our amazing partners at Code 3 Associates, we thought that bringing Tony Stewart and the crew together would provide our submariners with a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Ranelli, a former submariner himself. “NASCAR and Tony are incredibly popular with the Submarine Force, and this was our small way of thanking our submariners for what they do every day. It meant a lot to have Tony here to support our brave men and women who quietly and silently risk their lives underwater at the true tip of the spear every day. We cannot thank our submariners enough. They give so much and ask so little.”

“This was a great experience,” Stewart said. “Everyone takes a tremendous amount of pride in their work, and each person’s role on a sub is integral to its safety and success. It was an honor to meet everyone and hear their stories.”

In addition to supporting our military together, Central and Code 3 formed the Animal Disaster Relief Alliance (ADRA) earlier this year. This collaboration provides products and services to Code 3 Associates and other accredited disaster relief groups and direct responders who help rescue and care for animals and pets affected by both natural and manmade disasters. Creating a network of companies, ADRA provides much needed supplies, distribution and other services to streamline the process which is often made difficult by the very nature of these catastrophic events.

Along with the meet and greet at the base, Central and Code 3 also hosted a group of submariners at the Sylvania 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday providing tickets, garage passes, VIP tours and a behind the scenes look at what it takes to compete and perform in racing at the highest level.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet supplies markets. Committed to new product innovation, our products are sold to specialty independent and mass retailers. Participating categories in Lawn & Garden include: Grass seed and the brands PENNINGTON®, SMART SEED® and THE REBELS®; wild bird feed and the brand PENNINGTON®; weed and insect control and the brands AMDRO®, SEVIN®, IRONITE® and OVER-N-OUT®; and decorative outdoor patio products under the PENNINGTON ® brand. We also provide a host of other regional and application-specific garden brands and supplies. Participating categories in Pet include: Animal health and the brands ADAMS™ and ZODIAC®; aquatics and reptile and the brands OCEANIC®, AQUEON® and ZILLA®; bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE®, SUPER PET® and CRITTER TRAIL®; dog & cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®, PINNACLE® and AVODERM®; and equine and the brands FARNAM®, BRONCO® and SUPER MASK®. We also provide a host of other application-specific pet brands and supplies. Central Garden & Pet Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has approximately 3,300 employees, primarily in North America. For additional information on Central Garden & Pet Company, including access to the Company's SEC filings, please visit the Company’s website at www.central.com.

About Code 3 Associates

Code 3 Associates, Inc., a 501(c) (3) non-profit, is dedicated to providing professional animal disaster response and resources to communities, as well as providing professional training to individuals and agencies involved in animal related law enforcement and emergency response. Code 3’s mission is accomplished through hands-on animal rescue and care operations during disaster events in the United States and Canada, and through certified animal welfare training seminars, which include animal cruelty investigation training for officers. Visit www.code3associates.org for more information.

Central Garden & Pet
Mark Newberg, 847-330-5367 Office or 847-722-6754 Mobile
mnewberg@central.com
@central.com

Source: Central Garden & Pet

Released September 29, 2015