Women we admire in the pet industry: Lindsay Beaton, editor of Petfood Industry magazine and host of Trending: Pet Food podcast

Early in my veterinary nutrition career, I subscribed to the Petfood Industry magazine and saw Lindsay Beaton’s name frequently. Lindsay Beaton is the editor of Petfood Industry magazine and the host of, "Trending: Pet Food," a biweekly pet food industry podcast. As a journalist for a business-to-business magazine, she must be well-versed in industry news and information, especially in an unpredictable and highly emotional industry like the pet industry. Her well-researched and non-inflammatory toned articles have built my trust and respect. 

How did you get your start in the pet industry, and how did that experience lead you to where you are now?

I got my start by accident, mostly! I started working for WATT Global Media as an associate editor for their agriculture-focused magazines in 2010 after a couple of years with another publishing company as editor of a produce industry journal. After doing ag for a bit I moved over to being an associate editor for Petfood Industry magazine, which opened up the whole world of pet food for me! I discovered that it’s an amazing industry to be a part of — the kind where it feels like everyone knows each other, where competitors do business during the day and go out for drinks together at night because they’ve all worked together at some point, where everyone really does have the same goal of taking care of companion animals. I fell in love with it and now here I am, almost 13 years after joining WATT, and I still look forward to being part of the industry every day.

What is top-of-mind for you pertaining to the pet industry right now?

There is a lot going on right now in the pet space, and it’s been a wild ride as an industry journalist in terms of trying to keep everyone informed! Top of mind right now is global economics, of course — inflation, supply chain, trade barriers, take your pick — but there are also a lot of big trends promising some significant shifts in how the industry does business. Sustainability is a big one. Alternative proteins, which play into that, is another. Gen Z is also entering the workforce, and they’re demanding some (very necessary, I think) changes to how work is handled and how the labor force is looked at. Any one of these things would be plenty of news to keep up busy. But all at once? I don’t know that there’s ever been quite so much upheaval!

Tell us about a professional accomplishment in the pet industry that you are proud of.

This is going to sound like I’m schilling my own product, but I’m super proud of the Trending: Pet Food podcast I started in March 2022. Doing a podcast was an idea various members of our team had tossed out there at one time or another, but we’d never managed to pull the trigger. Then, one of the students I work with in my role as coordinator of the Student Program for Petfood Forum said, off the cuff, “You know, if you started a podcast I’d listen to it.” I could not get that out of my head, so I did a bunch of research, put together a proposal, pitched it internally, and they told me to run with it. It’s been a huge success! I’ve gotten to chat with some amazing people involved in the pet food industry, learned a lot, and really have gotten to the heart of a lot of topics in the last year. I never imagined I’d be doing anything like it, and the learning curve was steep (I had to teach myself how to edit audio files, for one thing!), but it’s been incredibly gratifying to stretch my creative muscles beyond what I’ve been doing and try something new, and of course have it go well enough that it’s still running strong into its second year.

What advice would you give to young people starting their careers in the pet industry?

Jump in and learn everything you can about the industry, no matter what your position is. If you’re in marketing, attend a seminar on extrusion. If you’re on the production floor, read up on consumer trends. If you’re in formulation, talk to someone who packages the final product. There are so many moving parts to this industry, and it’s easy to hole up in your silo, especially when you’re starting out — but you never know where you might end up, and the more knowledge you have of the process from the start to finish, the more connections you make, the richer an experience you’ll have in shaping your career!

What is something about the pet industry that people outside of the industry may not realize?

Nearly everyone in the pet industry is also a customer. We all have pets. We all love our pets dearly. We all want them to be happy and healthy. It’s so simple, but I think as consumers we tend to overlook the fact that the people involved in making certain products, especially food-type products, are most likely also consumers of those products. And when it comes to pet food, no one wants to put out a product that is going to make an animal sick … not theirs or anyone else’s.

Just for fun, do you have pets of your own, tell us a little bit about them?

I have three pets right now! Koda is an 11-year-old German Shepherd/Lab mix who came with my husband when we started dating. Maggie is my 15-year-old black cat whom I adopted when she was 2; she has the softest fur I’ve ever felt on a cat and she’s my favorite (but don’t tell the others). Booker is our 6-year-old DSH who literally showed up on our doorstep as a flea-ridden kitten on the coldest night of the year and adopted us on the spot, which is, of course, the traditional way of getting a cat.

Any final advice for other women in the pet industry?

Find like minds! There are female-owned pet food companies making it a point to help women connect in the space, women who have been in the industry a long time who can tell stories about how things have progressed, and a whole new generation coming into the industry-leading the charge of change and diversity — I know this because I’ve interviewed plenty of them! We’re not particularly shy about wanting to connect, either, so come be part of the fun!

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About the Author

Dr. Megan Sprinkle formerly worked at BSM Partners on the Special Services team in its Product Innovation practice. Megan is inspired by innovation and entrepreneurship and can talk endlessly about the power of podcasting. She is a new Georgian and lives with her husband and Great Dane, Eva.