Sugar Land is known for giving people a taste of the sweet life, and that’s none-so-truer than for Pink Zebra. During their busy season, the direct-to-consumer fragrance company employs close to 180 people at their Sugar Land headquarters, while thousands of consultants sell their waxes, soaps, oils and sanitizers throughout the U.S.
Founded by 6th generation Texans, Tom Gaines, and his wife Kelly, Pink Zebra continues to see success as one of the most inspiring manufacturing companies in Sugar Land, TX.
Location and Workforce
Pink Zebra began making their fragrances in Kentucky in 2010, but after noticing the potential of direct-to-consumer retail and the highly skilled workforce from Tom’s home state of Texas, the pair decided to move their headquarters to Sugar Land. This decision proved to be advantageous says Tom. With equidistance to the east and west coasts, manufacturing companies in Sugar Land, TX have easy access to markets across the U.S. Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59, which runs through the city, providing access to other multiple major highways and interstates. The city’s infrastructure has allowed Pink Zebra to get their products into the hands of close to 160,000 predominantly female consultants, who have sold Pink Zebra products directly to customers since 2010. In fact, the company has been so successful that business nearly doubled during the pandemic.
Purposeful Work
According to Tom and Kelly Gaines, Pink Zebra’s name is a nod to female empowerment, combining the idea of traditional femininity through the color pink with the community strength of zebras, which are known for being stronger together. The company lives out this idea every day by donating free days of daycare to single moms through their Heroes program and hundreds of thousands of dollars to Autism Awareness and Toys for Tots every year.
The company also embraces family-first values, which is in step with Sugar Land’s community-mindedness: almost a quarter of the city’s adult population volunteers with charitable organizations and remains invested in their city. Tom and Kelly continue to grow their business in Sugar Land because of the city’s strong governance, exceptional schools and efficient community.