What is Hartz Mountain Corporation?

As I had posted Leonard Stern as the CEO of Hartz Mountain Corporation, I was dutifully corrected by an anonymous poster. Since the history and corporate position of Hartz Pet Products is muddled, lets try and sort some things out for the 100+ people that visit this site daily.

Max & Gustav Stern started the Hartz Mountain brand in 1932 by selling bird food. The business quickly expanded as the Stern's began selling small animals and their associated supplies. Eventually the product was introduced into markets and grocery stores in the United States and U.K.

After 75 years of ownership, the Hartz Mountain Corporation was sold to investment group J.W. Childs. It was decided to keep the Hartz Mountain Corporation name. In 2004 Hartz Mountain Corporation was sold to the Sumitomo Corporation, a giant corporate congolmerate that specializes in heartwarming industries such as aerospace, defense and industrial pesticides.

Here's a bit from the Sumitomo Chemical page:

"Today, the Sumitomo Chemical Group includes over 100 subsidiaries and affiliates operating in six business sectors - basic chemicals, petrochemicals and plastics, fine chemicals, IT-related chemicals, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals - and supplies a broad range of products for global markets."

Why would a company that manufactures industrial pesticides care to take on ownership of a company focused on the well-being of pets?

The answer is Summit VetPharm. Taken from the website: http://www.summitvetpharm.com

"Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA) announced the appointment of Mr. Koichi Isohata as Chairman of its newest subsidiary, animal healthcare company, Summit VetPharm, LLC. Mr. Isohata joins the Summit VetPharm management team after spending over 15 years as head of Sumitomo's Household Insecticides and Agrochemical business in Tokyo, and serving as general manager for the Petcare business in the Life Science Division, Chemical and Electronics Business Unit, in charge of the establishment of Summit VetPharm."

It seems another way of profiting from grossly undertested industrial pesticides is to use them to create Flea & Tick drops, spray and baths and pawn such products off to unsuspecting consumers.
Most people would not pick up the bottle if the flea & tick spray came from a company like Sumitomo Chemical.

Hartz Mountain is merely a formerly trusted name corporate branding mechanism sustained by recognition that is being used to disguise industrial strength pesticides as usable pet products.