Transforming Pet Care: Jennifer Strickland's AI-Driven Leadership

In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy, hosts Adam Brotman and Andy Sack sit down with Jennifer Strickland Fowler, CEO of Destination Pet, a rapidly growing company with over 160 pet care centers across 34 states. Jennifer shares her journey from human healthcare into pet care leadership and how her perspective on AI has shifted dramatically in the last year.

She explains how Destination Pet now uses AI to accelerate competitive analysis, streamline recruiting, evaluate vendors, and free up staff to spend more time with pets and their owners. Jennifer also offers a CEO’s perspective on AI as a “thought partner” and “co-pilot,” helping her team spark creativity, improve efficiency, and deliver a better customer experience. This candid conversation highlights the real-world, non-linear ROI of AI adoption in a relationship-driven service business.