is operated as a subsidiary of Nestlé. It is headquartered in St Louis, Missouri and has operations in North America, Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Oceania. There are sixteen buildings on 50 acres at its headquarters, including a 15-story main tower, four-story research facility built in 2010 and a Learning and Training center built in 2011. In 2010, Purina built the $10 million Purina Event Center for dog shows and competitions. Nestlé Purina Petcare sponsors various charitable activities, such as the Pet Care Pride Day annual event where employees do volunteer work. Employees are allowed to bring their pets to work. The company has on-site gyms, physical fitness trainers, medical care, and an employee turnover of approximately 5 percent. NestlePurina also has its own in-house creative agency called, CheckMark. Purina's St Louis headquarters houses between 2,500 and 3000 employees and also houses IT and auditing departments as part of Nestle Shared Services. Statistics As of 2005, Purina Petcare was Nestlé's second most profitable division behind pharmaceuticals. It was the largest pet food manufacturer by market share in the US and the second-largest in Europe. As of 2012, globally Purina has a 23.1 percent share of the pet food market, while its largest competitor, Mars, has a 23.4 percent share. According to a Research and Markets report, competition between Nestlé and Mars has been "fierce." In 2010, Nestlé Purina Petcare won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award based on organizational and manufacturing performance. Its manufacturing operations have continuously reduced the amount of materials used in packaging, increased the recycling of waste product and reduced water usage, in addition to installing solar panels to produce electricity for its offices and facilities. In 2011, Nestlé Purina Petcare was ranked as one of 11 most sustainable companies in Two Tomorrow's annual ranking. As of 2014, it has 19 manufacturing plants. See also W. Patrick McGinnis, former president and CEO (2001–2015), then non-executive chairman (2015–2017) References Notes External links Ralston Purina Nestlé brands Cat food brands Dog food brands Food and drink companies of the United States American companies established in 2001 Food and drink companies established in 2001 2001 establishments in Missouri American subsidiaries of foreign companies