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Tomorrow's Tycoons
Casey Reichl, an 18-year-old at Marshall High School in Falls Church, got her start baking people food but is hoping to make her fortune baking for dogs.
(Photos By Jahi Chikwendiu -- The Washington Post)
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"The dog business is getting so popular," she said. "Even Gucci makes things for dogs."
According to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association, people in the United States spent $34.4 billion on their pets in 2004. The bulk of that -- $14.2 billion -- was spent on food.
Casey tried to make her treats distinctive by offering one variety few companies seem to offer: biscuits for the dentally challenged.
Her Snickerpoodles are designed for older dogs with, ahem, dental problems. Her inspiration was her dog Pulu, who had gingivitis as a puppy and as a result had nine teeth removed. Because the future isn't looking particularly bright for the bichon frise's remaining choppers, Casey needed to come up with a solution.
Snickerpoodles are soft biscuits that look a great deal like real snickerdoodle cookies (and even have some of the same ingredients, such as cinnamon). The resemblance is so striking that she fed some to her brother's unsuspecting friends. ("They ate them. They just said they tasted a little strange.")
Last week, she scored one of her first major marketing coups when Black Eyed Susan, a gift shop not far from her home, agreed to stock her gourmet biscuits. A Web site is on the horizon.
"It's something I love to do, so I figured, why not do it all the time?"
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Thomas Dant Jr.
Age: 17
Photography
When Thomas Dant Jr. launched his photography business Fine Foto last year, his plan was to hire his skills out to people who needed his services.
