{"id":7423,"date":"2016-07-08T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/2016\/07\/08\/startup-snapshots-fun-and-games-at-doggy-daycare\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T18:16:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T18:16:47","slug":"startup-snapshots-fun-and-games-at-doggy-daycare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/2016\/07\/08\/startup-snapshots-fun-and-games-at-doggy-daycare\/","title":{"rendered":"Startup Snapshots: Fun and games at doggy daycare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Kimberly Jones Gilliam \u201998 (CALS), MBA \u201902, Frolick Dogs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>by Dick Anderson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/startups-doggydaycare-320x.jpg\" alt=\"Startup Snapshots: Fun and games at doggy daycare\" class=\"wp-image-7424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/startups-doggydaycare-320x.jpg 320w, https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/startups-doggydaycare-320x-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/startups-doggydaycare-320x-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When the couple met in 2006, Kimberly Jones was director of membership and sales operations with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Kevin Gilliam was a trainer at the Olde Towne School for Dogs in Alexandria, Va. Kim and Kevin got married in 2010, and it wasn\u2019t long before their professional interests came together \u2014 \u201cthe business side and the dog side,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kevin had an idea for a dog gym facility \u2014 a sports club for canines \u2014 and Kim helped him refine his business plan. \u201cI grew up with dogs, but this was his passion,\u201d she says. \u201cThe more he floated the idea around, I really got the big picture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After Frolick Dogs opened its doors in June 2014, \u201cwe spent the first couple of weeks waiting for people to come in,\u201d she says. Kevin\u2019s Olde Towne School clientele \u201csent referrals like crazy,\u201d and a barrage of press (from <em>The Washington Post<\/em> to \u201cThe Today Show\u201d) paid dividends. Now, \u201cWe\u2019re at capacity for our day boarding. We\u2019re turning away business, which is really hard.\u201d Plans are afoot for a second area location, Kim says, and they\u2019ve fielded franchising inquiries from California to Dubai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gilliam completed her undergraduate degree in agricultural business management and marketing and applied to business school \u201con a lark,\u201d the Delaware native recalls. \u201cI think I was the youngest person in my class at the Johnson School.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Kevin was sidelined for six months by spinal injuries last year, Kim not only had to run their nascent business, but care for daughter Cameron (now 4). Kevin\u2019s brother, Kyle, moved up from Florida to help out \u2014 and, to Kim\u2019s amazement, Frolick Dogs\u2019 human clientele pitched in as well: \u201cThey would volunteer on Saturdays to come in and clean. This is more than just a business. We\u2019ve created a community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kimberly Jones Gilliam \u201998 (CALS), MBA \u201902, Frolick Dogs by Dick Anderson When the couple met in 2006, Kimberly Jones was director of membership and sales operations with the U.S.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":7424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[171],"tags":[196,201],"ppma_author":[],"class_list":["post-7423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-profiles","tag-archived","tag-eii-cornell-startups"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.2 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Startup Snapshots: Fun and games at doggy daycare - Cornell Business Centers &amp; Institutes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kimberly Jones Gilliam \u201998 (CALS), MBA \u201902, Frolick Dogs by Dick Anderson When the couple met in 2006, Kimberly Jones was director of membership and sales\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/2016\/07\/08\/startup-snapshots-fun-and-games-at-doggy-daycare\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Startup Snapshots: Fun and games at doggy daycare - Cornell Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kimberly Jones Gilliam \u201998 (CALS), MBA \u201902, Frolick Dogs by Dick Anderson When the couple met in 2006, Kimberly Jones was director of membership and sales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/2016\/07\/08\/startup-snapshots-fun-and-games-at-doggy-daycare\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Centers &amp; 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