NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BarkBox, Inc.
("BARK" or the "Company"), the leading global brand for dogs, today
announced it has expanded and bolstered its senior leadership team
in support of the Company's continued rapid growth and pending
merger with Northern Star Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: STIC).
Rustin Richburg, a recognized
global HR & talent leader, board advisor, operator, and
transformation executive, has joined BARK as Chief People Officer.
In this role, Mr. Richburg is responsible for leading all functions
within the People organization, enhancing processes and frameworks
around talent acquisition, learning and development, inclusion and
belonging, and compensation strategy.
Matt Miller, an experienced and
skilled attorney, negotiator, and litigator, has joined BARK as
General Counsel. In this role, Mr. Miller is responsible for
leading BARK's internal legal and compliance function.
"As we close in on a historic year for BARK, in which we
delightfully served more dogs and their families than ever before,
the expansion of our leadership team with accomplished
professionals who share our core values and unbridled love of dogs
well positions BARK to continue this success and momentum," said
Manish Joneja, Chief Executive
Officer of BARK. "Rustin is a renowned change agent and strategist
who makes companies better and people happier. Matt is a
sharp legal expert and a trusted advisor to growing companies like
ours. We look forward to benefiting from their experience and
leadership capabilities at this exciting time for BARK."
Rustin Richburg
Bio
Rustin Richburg is
a recognized global HR & talent leader, board advisor,
operator, and transformation executive. Mr. Richburg previously led
HR teams at Walton Enterprises, Inc., and the Walton Family
Foundation. As Chief People Officer, he headed up HR for the family
office, investments, private equity, and philanthropic work of
Sam and Helen Walton. Before joining
Walton Enterprises, Mr. Richburg was Walmart's Senior Vice
President of Global HR Operations & Technology from 2016 to
2017, when he was named Senior Vice President, US People. Before
joining Walmart, he held leadership roles at Imperial Brands and
Accenture. Mr. Richburg holds a B.A. in Agribusiness from
Texas A&M University as well as
certifications in program management from the University of Washington and in conflict resolution
from Cornell University. He is the
proud dog parent to Mona and Capote.
Matt Miller
Bio
Matt Miller brings
more than 25 years of global legal and compliance experience
working across multiple industries for public companies to BARK.
Prior to joining BARK, Mr. Miller served as the first General
Counsel at Green Thumb Industries, a publicly-traded national
cannabis consumer packaged goods company and retailer, where he was
responsible for legal and compliance. Previously, Mr. Miller spent
eight years as Deputy General Counsel at Groupon, where he built
and led teams covering litigation, employment, IP, and
international. At Groupon, Mr. Miller had global responsibilities
covering North America, LATAM,
EMEA, and APAC, and he worked for a year based in Switzerland. Prior to his in-house work, he
served as an attorney at a number of law firms, including Jenner
& Block, Richard J. Prendergast Ltd., and Much Shelist, P.C.
Mr. Miller holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin and a J.D. from the
Loyola University Chicago School of
Law. He is the proud dog parent to Ruby and Bruno.
About BARK
BARK is the world's most dog-centric
company, devoted to making dogs happy with the best products,
services and content. BARK's dog-obsessed team applies its unique,
data-driven understanding of what makes each dog special to design
playstyle-specific toys, wildly satisfying treats and wellness
supplements, and dog-first experiences that foster the health and
happiness of dogs everywhere. Founded in 2012, BARK loyally serves
dogs nationwide with monthly subscription services, BarkBox and
Super Chewer; a curated e-commerce experience on BarkShop.com;
custom collections via its retail partner network, including Target
and Amazon; wellness products that meet your dogs' needs with BARK
Bright; and a personalized meal delivery service for dogs BARK
Eats. At BARK, we want to be the people our dogs think we are and
promise to be their voice until every dog reaches its full
tail-wagging potential. Sniff around at bark.co for more
information.
About Northern Star Acquisition Corp.
Northern Star
Acquisition Corp. is a special purpose acquisition company whose
management team and Board of Directors are composed of veteran
consumer, media, technology, retail and finance industry executives
and founders, including Joanna
Coles, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer, and
Jonathan Ledecky, President and
Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Coles is a creative media and
technology executive who in her previous roles as editor of two
leading magazines and Chief Content Officer of Hearst Magazines
developed an extensive network of relationships at the intersection
of technology, fashion and beauty. Ms. Coles currently serves as a
special advisor to Cornell Capital, a $7
billion private investment firm, and is on the board at Snap
Inc., Sonos, Density Software, and Women Entrepreneurs of
New York City. Mr. Ledecky is a
seasoned businessman with over 35 years of investment and
operational experience. He has executed hundreds of acquisitions
across multiple industries and raised over $20 billion in debt and equity. He is also
co-owner of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders
franchise. For additional information, please visit
https://northernstaric.com.
Important Information and Where to Find It
This
communication is being made in respect of the proposed merger
transaction involving Northern Star and BARK. Northern Star has
filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which will include a proxy
statement/prospectus of Northern Star, and certain related
documents, to be used at the meeting of shareholders to approve the
proposed business combination and related matters. Investors and
security holders of Northern Star are urged to read the proxy
statement/prospectus, and any amendments thereto and other relevant
documents that have been or will be filed with the SEC, carefully
and in their entirety because they will contain important
information about BARK, Northern Star and the business combination.
The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to shareholders of
Northern Star as of a record date to be established for voting on
the proposed business combination. Investors and security holders
will also be able to obtain copies of the registration statement
and other documents containing important information about each of
the companies once such documents are filed with the SEC, without
charge, at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.
The information contained on, or that may be accessed through,
the websites referenced in this press release is not incorporated
by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.
Participants in the Solicitation
Northern Star, BARK
and certain of their respective directors and executive officers
may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from the
shareholders of Northern Star in favor of the approval of the
business combination and related matters. Shareholders may obtain
more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and
interests of certain of Northern Star's executive officers and
directors in the solicitation by reading Northern Star's Final
Prospectus dated November 10, 2020,
filed with the SEC on November 12,
2020, and the proxy statement and other relevant materials
filed with the SEC in connection with the business combination when
they become available. Information concerning the interests of
Northern Star's participants in the solicitation, which may, in
some cases, be different than those of their stockholders
generally, will be set forth in the proxy statement relating to the
business combination when it becomes available.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication does not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy
any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall
there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in
which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to
registration or qualification under the securities laws of such
other jurisdiction.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included
in this press release are not historical facts but are
forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor
provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are
accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate,"
"continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would,"
"plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future,"
"outlook," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future
events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters,
but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is
not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but
are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of
other financial and performance metrics and projections of market
opportunity.
These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or
not identified in this press release, and on the current
expectations of BARK's management and are not predictions of actual
performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for
illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and
must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an
assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or
probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or
impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual
events and circumstances are beyond the control of BARK. Some
important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those in any forward-looking statements could
include changes in domestic and foreign business, market,
financial, political and legal conditions. These forward-looking
statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties; the
inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the
merger, including the risk that any required regulatory approvals
are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated
conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the
expected benefits of the merger is not obtained; failure to realize
the anticipated benefits of the merger; risks relating to the
uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to
BARK; the risk that spending on pets may not increase at projected
rates; that BARK subscriptions may not increase their spending with
BARK; BARK's ability to continue to convert social media followers
and contacts into customers; BARK's ability to successfully expand
its product lines and channel distribution; competition; the
uncertain effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and those factors
discussed in documents of Northern Star filed, or to be filed, with
SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove
incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results
implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be
additional risks that neither Northern Star nor BARK presently know
or that Northern Star and BARK currently believe are immaterial
that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained
in the forward-looking statements.
In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Northern Star's
and BARK's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and
views as of the date of this press release. Northern Star and BARK
anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause
Northern Star's and BARK's assessments to change. However, while
Northern Star and BARK may elect to update these forward-looking
statements at some point in the future, Northern Star and BARK
specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These
forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as
representing Northern Star's and BARK's assessments as of any date
subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue
reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking
statements.
Any financial projections in this communication are
forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions that are
inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies,
many of which are beyond Northern Star's and BARK's control. While
all projections are necessarily speculative, Northern Star and BARK
believe that the preparation of prospective financial information
involves increasingly higher levels of uncertainty the further out
the projection extends from the date of preparation. The
assumptions and estimates underlying the projected results are
inherently uncertain and are subject to a wide variety of
significant business, economic and competitive risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those contained in the projections. The inclusion of
projections in this communication should not be regarded as an
indication that Northern Star and BARK, or their respective
representatives and advisors, considered or consider the
projections to be a reliable prediction of future events.
This communication is not intended to be all-inclusive or to
contain all the information that a person may desire in considering
in an investment in Northern Star and is not intended to form the
basis of an investment decision in Northern Star. All subsequent
written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Northern
Star and BARK, the proposed transactions or other matters and
attributable to Northern Star and BARK or any person acting on
their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the
cautionary statements above.
Contacts
For BARK
Investors:
ICR, Inc.
Jean Fontana
Jean.Fontana@icrinc.com
Media:
Garland Harwood
press@barkbox.com
For Northern Star Acquisition Corp.
Jonathan Gasthalter/Nathaniel Garnick/Sam
Fisher
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170
northernstar@gasthalter.com
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SOURCE BARK and Northern Star Acquisition Corp.
