Upon graduating with a degree in business from California State University, Sacramento, Sandy Malaney accepted a sales position from Lanier Business Products. She found her stride in outside sales, becoming Lanier’s top producer in their telecommunications division.
In 1988, Malaney joined Checkpoint Systems, selling security systems to retail companies. Malaney gained valuable information about the retail sector that would eventually lead her to her next career at a startup called Retail Technologies, Inc. (RTI) in 1990.
As vice president of sales and marketing, Malaney focused on sales, brand marketing, and expanding product line. (Today Retail Technologies is known as Retail Pro International (RPI), and is headquartered in Folsom, CA.)
Then in 1993, RTI eliminated its sales division to focus solely on software development. Sandy and her husband Mick seized the opportunity to open a software distributorship that included selling and supporting RTI’s point of sale and inventory management solution—Retail Pro.
The Malaneys didn’t need to look far for a business name. “Big Hairy Dog” described the family dog, Molly, an Old English Sheep Dog. Today, pups Dugan Finnegan and Paisley Rose continue to dutifully represent the family business.
Sandy Malaney’s varied experiences in business and in life prepared her for the rigors of owning a small technology firm. Celebrating 27 years (or—189 dog years) of success, Big Hairy Dog continues to expand in the retail market place, while providing an award-winning help desk to customers worldwide.
