The Rotary Club of Farragut has been meeting for 42 years and recently made membership history with the induction of its first-ever teenager – Preston Hennessy. This 19-year-old Farragut High School graduate is a young entrepreneur, mature beyond his years, managing a start-up company with a unique clientele. His company is the Canine Runners Club with its own website.
His clientele – pooches. All sizes, all breeds. And their owners, some who do not have time to exercise their dogs, some who may be too elderly to do it, and others who use Preston to augment their own care efforts and help their pets rehabilitate from an injury or surgery. He has a specialty equipped van that he drives to the homes of his clients in order to exercise their dogs.
Preston Hennessy’s mother, Sonya Ford, welcomes him to her club.
Here is how Preston describes his business: “Canine Runners Club is a climate-controlled mobile dog gym. With our state-of-the-art canine treadmills, we help pets live a healthier life. My van has two treadmills capable of running any size dog, and the three primary benefits of exercising the dogs are strengthening the hind leg muscles, improving mobility, burning off excessive energy and improving the quality of life for overweight dogs.”
Preston’s sponsor into the club is his mother, Sonya Ford, a Farragut Rotarian who joined in October 2018 and has been a very active member.
“He actually started reading our club’s weekly newsletter before we ever talked about him joining, and he noticed what interesting speakers and programs we have each week,” Ford said. “But he came to one meeting and said ‘This is not for me.’ He came again and left with a completely different feeling.”
He was inducted at the March 2 meeting and has not missed a meeting and has already worked on two service projects. “This club is all about service and I want to be part of that in our community,” he explained. “I like the speakers, and I enjoy the lunch conversation with other business leaders. I mostly listen.”
Preston is one of those young people not interested in college, at least so far. “Right now I want to pursue this and focus on it to see how far I can take this and grow it. I want to give it some time to grow and build my client base.”
He was one of the retail vendors at the 15th annual Mardi Growl held back on Saturday, March 5, at World’s Fair Park downtown. It brought in some business, he said, and he made contacts for future business. He also allowed people to test their dogs on his treadmills. He markets his company on Facebook and on his website.
Among his furry clients are a bernedoodle, a trio of terrier mixed breeds, a goldendoodle and two Australian shepherds. He charges his clients $30 for a 30-minute exercise session per pooch. If you’re interested and would like more information, you can contact Preston by phone or text at 865-410-6611 or you can email him at CanineRunnersClub@gmail.com
To explore membership in the Rotary Club of Farragut, call 865-659-3562. Farragut Rotary meets each Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at Fox Den Country Club.