K9000 Dog Wash USA is opening its new headquarters in Wilmington.

The move is coming after Pete Peterson, CEO of Leland-based Manufacturing Methods and president of K9000 Dog Wash USA, partnered late last week with Gordon Reddick, the company’s new vice president, and Cullen Seward, vice president of sales and marketing.

The business is leasing about 3,000 square feet of office and warehouse space at 951 S. Kerr Ave., with plans to complete the buildout of its new light manufacturing and assembly space by the end of the year, Seward said.

"We have the ability and probably will very soon expand into another 2,000 square feet that are left in that building," Peterson said. 

K9000 Dog Wash manufactures, sells and distributes self-serve dog wash machines.

The company has had a location in Wilmington at 4305 Oleander Drive and was operating in Leland. Plans are to close the dog washing location on Oleander at the end of January, Seward said.

“K9000 has been operating our sole Wilmington location for a couple of years now. We want to expand our locations and help local business owners in the greater Cape Fear region. By utilizing the K9000, they can generate additional passive income and increase foot traffic. We will utilize outbound machine sales in various pockets of the country to grow our brand across the U.S.,” Seward said.

The company owns another dog wash station at 5941 Carolina Beach Road, inside Tender Loving Care Dog Grooming. More company-owned dog wash locations are soon to come to downtown Wilmington, Porters Neck, Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, Seward said.

Other K9000 dog wash machines, not owned by the company, are located at 250 Racine Drive, inside Best Day Ever Dog Boutique, and at 6756 Market St. outside Stevens Ace Hardware.

The new headquarters space will also include a working dog wash area, which will be available for public use by the end of January, Seward said. 

The Kerr Avenue location will complete the move of the K9000 Dog Wash business from underneath the umbrella of Manufacturing Methods.

"It always has been an independent entity, but just because I was the only partner at the time and was utilizing our back-office resources, it was a little bit mixed in," Peterson said, "which is one reason why we relocated all of this as well, just to signify that these are two different companies."

Peterson is still overseeing service and manufacturing, he said. Manufacturing Methods will continue making the metal framing and machine parts at its facility in Leland. K9000 Dog Wash USA will conduct design, distribution, final assembly and testing of the units at the new location in Wilmington. 

The changes come with increasing opportunities within the national market, Peterson said. 

"We wanted to build a bigger brand presence in Wilmington," Peterson said, adding that he expects the Kerr Avenue location will help grow the K9000 brand and sales.

There are five employees with K9000 Dog Wash USA, and that number could grow in the next year or two by an additional six to 12 more employees, Peterson said.

The company has sold 20 machines since August, Seward said. K9000 Dog Wash USA has shipped its machines to places all across the U.S., including California, Alaska, New Jersey and Texas.

The company now has three models of the K9000 Dog Wash machine: a compact mini version, its single V 2.0 and its twin model, Peterson said.

“We definitely see this as being very successful,” Peterson said. “The response that we’ve gotten very quickly has been really great, and it seems like a sale always generates a sale.”

Editor's note: After publishing this story, K9000 Dog Wash USA decided to close its Oleander Drive location. This story has been updated to reflect the closing.