Zoom Room Taps Former Petco CEO Ron Coughlin as Chairman. Pet Services Just Got a New Power Player.
Zoom Room has named former Petco CEO Ron Coughlin as chairman of the board and hired a new CFO from the franchise world. The moves position the 57-location dog training franchise for accelerated national expansion, targeting 550 locations by 2030.
Zoom Room, the indoor dog training franchise ranked No. 1 in its category on Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500, has named Ron Coughlin chairman of the board. Coughlin spent five and a half years as CEO of Petco, where he transformed the company from a pet retailer into a health-and-wellness platform and led it through an IPO. His move to a 57-location franchise signals where the smart money in pet is heading: services, not shelves.
What Happened
Zoom Room announced on March 31 that Coughlin will serve as chairman of the board, effective immediately. The company simultaneously appointed Soumik Chatterjee as chief financial officer. Chatterjee most recently served as CFO at Sizzling Platter, one of the largest franchise operators in the U.S., with experience at PepsiCo and McKinsey.
Coughlin joined Petco as CEO in June 2018 and departed in March 2024. During his tenure, he grew Petco's revenue by more than 40%, added seven million customers, expanded the veterinary footprint from single digits to over 280 locations, and more than doubled digital and services revenue. Before Petco, he held senior leadership roles at HP and PepsiCo.
Zoom Room currently operates 57 locations across 22 states. The franchise has signed over 100 units nationwide and is targeting 550 locations by 2030. Mature stores — those open at least three years — averaged over $600,000 in annual sales with a net profit margin of 29.6%, translating to roughly $181,700 in net profit per unit.
Why It Matters
1. Executive talent is migrating from big-box pet retail to services. Coughlin isn't the first major pet executive to leave a large retailer for a services-focused company, but he may be the most consequential. The former CEO of a $6 billion public company choosing to chair a 57-location franchise tells you something about where he sees the category's growth runway. This follows a broader pattern: Patterson Companies just hired a new chief digital officer, and Freshpet recently recruited its CFO from Zoetis. The talent pipeline is shifting.
2. Zoom Room's unit economics are franchise-grade. A 29.6% net margin on $600,000+ in average sales is strong for any franchise concept, and exceptional for pet services. For context, the typical franchise in the pet space struggles to break 15% net margins. Coughlin's presence on the board, paired with a new CFO from a major franchise operator, positions Zoom Room to attract both franchisees and institutional capital at a different scale than before.
3. Pet services is the growth story within the growth story. The U.S. pet industry hit $158 billion in 2025, per APPA, but the fastest-growing segments are services — training, grooming, daycare, veterinary. Coughlin saw this firsthand at Petco, where services and vet revenue grew faster than retail. Zoom Room's model is pure services with no inventory risk, no perishable goods, and recurring revenue from classes and memberships. That's a profile that institutional investors understand.
4. The franchise playbook is the distribution strategy. Rather than building company-owned stores, Zoom Room is using franchisees to scale quickly with lower capital requirements. Hitting 100 signed units and targeting 550 by 2030 would make it one of the largest branded pet services chains in North America. Coughlin's retail expertise and relationships could accelerate distribution partnerships and multi-unit franchise sales.
What to Watch
Franchise development pace. Zoom Room has 57 open locations against 100+ signed. The gap between signed and open is the execution risk. Watch for quarterly openings to track whether the franchise pipeline is converting.
Institutional investment. A chairman with Coughlin's profile and a CFO from the franchise world suggest Zoom Room may be positioning for a significant capital raise. Any private equity or growth equity announcement would validate the services thesis.
Competitive response from Petco and PetSmart. Both major retailers have been investing in in-store services. Coughlin's defection to a services-first competitor may accelerate their own services strategies or trigger acquisition interest in similar concepts.
Multi-unit franchisee interest. The real growth unlock for franchise concepts is attracting operators who want to open 5, 10, or 20+ locations. Coughlin's presence and the strong unit economics should appeal to this tier. Watch for announcements about multi-unit development agreements.
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