KANSAS CITY, MO. — More than 600 animal health executives, investors, entrepreneurs and other industry leaders flocked to Kansas City last week for the 2026 Animal Health Summit, hosted by the KC Animal Health Corridor, held Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 at the Midland Theater.

Anchored by Manhattan, Kan., and Columbia, Mo., the KC Animal Health Corridor represents the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world. The more than 300 companies with a business location within the Corridor account for more than half of the sales generated by the global animal health industry.

Held in the heart of the corridor, the Animal Health Summit aims to drive innovation in the sector with two days of thought-provoking panels and presentations, emerging company pitches, networking and access to the industry’s top minds.

“When we gather here, we’re not just attending another event,” said Shannon Kellner, chair of board for the KC Animal Health Corridor and vice president of Livestock for Merck Animal Health. “We are bringing together the many parts of animal health that often operate in separate conversations. We‘re creating space for new thinking, stronger connections and a broader view of where the industry is headed.”

Keynote speaker Joel Goldberg.

Bring on the education

Kicking off the event, Emmy Award-winning Broadcaster Joel Goldberg took the stage to discuss the role trust plays in building strong teams, lasting relationships and respected brands. Through memorable stories and insights from his experiences throughout his career, Goldberg shared how trust is earned through daily actions, strengthened through meaningful communication and protected over time, as well as how animal health brands can tap into this to drive continued success.

To build trust among customers, Golberg stressed that companies need to build it gradually, easily and in a meaningful manner.

“Everything we do in life is about people; whether it’s business or baseball it is always about people… and the business of people is the business of trust,” he explained. “Don’t ever stop building trust… as we become more disconnected in today’s world, continuing to build that gradual trust matters more than ever.”

Next, attendees heard insights from a panel of executive leaders in the animal health industry who shared how they are responding to ever-changing forces in the industry and what leadership must look like to succeed in the future. Moderated by Fiona Rey of Elanco Animal Health and vice chair of the Animal Health Corridor, the panel members included Giovanni Abruzzini, president and chief executive officer of Virbac North America; Scott Bormann, senior vice president, North America, for Merck Animal Health; Rauf Gurbuz, president and general manager US for Hill’s Pet Nutrition; Julia Loew, chief commercial officer of MWI Animal Health; and Rene Ward, head of Corporate Affairs US Animal Health for Boehringer Ingelheim.

Source: Pet Food Processing / Sosland Publishing Co.

The industry leaders discussed the impact of pet humanization on the industry; market forces reshaping the sector such as economic pressures, trade and regulatory differences, and geopolitical dynamics; the impact and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI); and focusing on innovation to continue to drive success and advance the industry.

“When we discuss how the pet is viewed as part of the family, you could say of course we know that, but there is a big impact from that,” Gurbuz said. “If you think about the impact that the humanization of pets is bringing on our industry… you can see that it is here to stay and change the way we do things in the future.”

The panel was then followed by emerging company presentations during which startups in the animal health sector sought investor dollars and industry partnerships. Since its inception, nearly 660 companies hailing from 31 countries and nearly every US state have participated in the opportunity. This year the event received 58 applications from 19 different countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Wrapping up an insightful first day, attendees then gathered to catch up with industry colleagues and make new networking connections during a cocktail reception sponsored by Bimini Pet Health.

Source: Pet Food Processing / Sosland Publishing Co.

Another day of insights

Day two started off with a busy morning featuring more emerging company presentations and an investor panel discussing how investment and partnership dynamics shape the animal health sector. During the panel, leading investors shared what they look for, how founders should approach them, and how to navigate funding and partnerships with confidence.

Following lunch, Michael Johnson, principal of Consumer Strategy for BSM Partners, took the stage, discussing how the pet market functions today, and where animal health expertise can create value for the sector. During his presentation, Johnson gave attendees an overview of key pet owner behaviors and perceptions, market structure and emerging trends in pet nutrition products from demand for functional benefits to premiumization to convenience.

Johnson also discussed a lack of trust in the industry from its consumers, stating that almost 80% of pet consumes feel misled by advertising at one point in time or another, more than 70% feel that brands lean more on marketing than they do on real value and more than half don’t believe the claims that they see on the bag. He offered four action items that brands can start doing today to respond to this: prove it instead of selling it by saying what happened rather than what is being promised; write the way consumers talk by using plain words instead of clever or highly technical ones; start where consumers already are by solving the concerns they have with a product; and treat the vet as consumers’ proof, as it is the one voice that nearly all pet consumers believe.

Michael Johnson of BSM Partners.

“We are now in a trust economy, and everything that doesn’t work takes us deeper into that trust hole,” he said. “The end consumer is not understanding science and data, they see it in their pets and that is the evidence they will decide to base their purchasing upon.”

Following Johnson’s presentation, attendees gained insight into the regulatory landscape through a panel titled “From Prescription to Pet Parent: Navigating Regulation and Innovation in Animal Health.” The panel included Kristina Camp, DVM, Ph.D., director of Regulatory Affairs for Akston Biosciences Corporation; Tyre D. Grant, Ph.D., vice president of Global Technical Development at Elanco Animal Health; Ellen Hart, DVM, vice president of Regulatory and International Affairs for the Animal Health Institute; and Kimberly Simmons, DVM, vice president of Regulatory Affairs and Consulting for Clinglobal. Moderating the panel was industry executive Jill Stohs, DVM.

During the panel, the regulatory experts discussed federal policy, regulatory strategy, global pathways and real-world adoption, including prescription products, nutraceuticals/supplements and direct-to-consumer (DTC) models. The panel stressed the importance of companies developing a strong regulatory strategy to manage the different needs and impacts of different regulatory bodies and the competitive advantage this can provide a company, particularly for novel products. Panel members also agreed that maintaining continuous communication and a strong relationship with regulators as opposed to seeing them as an obstacle can help ensure market success.

Source: Pet Food Processing / Sosland Publishing Co.

“The regulatory pathway is not just paperwork, it’s not just compliance, but it really helps define what you can say, who you can say it to, the evidence that is generated, how fast you can move and really how big your market can be,” Stohs said.

Planning is already underway for next year’s Animal Health Summit, to be held Aug. 30 to 31, 2027, in Kansas City. Emerging company applications for the 2027 event will also be opening late this year for interested applicants.

“For 21 years, this event has served as a stage for innovation, a catalyst for connection and reflection of our strength of our industry,” said Kimberly Young, president of the KC Animal Health Corridor. “Although it was a much smaller gathering when the Summit began 21 years ago, but it still has the very same focused purpose of creating a place where animal health leaders and innovators can come together around the issues and opportunities that are shaping our industry. That purpose is what still defines the Summit today.”

Read more about pet food and treat industry events.