Project 7

By Trey Bodwin '13

Thirteen years ago, agricultural development major Tyler Merrick ’00 had no idea that he would one day grow from managing a small T-shirt business to becoming CEO of his father’s company. Even more so, he never imagined becoming founder and CEO of a company that would change the world.

Entrepreneurship has always been the name of the game with Tyler and the Merrick family. His father, Garth Merrick, founded Merrick Pet Business, which has grown successfully for the past 25 years. 

While attending Texas A&M, Tyler focused on learning the ins-and-outs of business. But managing his own T-shirt business along with being a full time student wasn’t the easiest thing to do. After coming short of his acceptance into the Mays School of Business, which required a 4.0 GPA at the time, he was forced to pursue another major. Tyler decided to seek a new path in the College of Agriculture, where he had the opportunity to speak with administrator Dr. Joe Townsend ’67 about his academic future. 

“Dr. Townsend was very gracious and kind,” Tyler said. “Meeting him was like throwing a life vest in the middle of the ocean.”

Dr. Townsend’s inspiration brought a new perspective to Tyler’s plans. He graduated with a degree in agricultural development and was well on his way to the family business. 

The recent graduate grew his father’s company from a quality pet food brand to a world-class operation for premium pet foods over the course of six years. In 2007, Merrick Pet Foods was ranked 58th on the Aggie 100 list of the faster-growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-managed companies. But in Tyler’s mind, there was always something more to be done. 

“A&M really fostered being in an environment that reinforced the way I was raised- a giving environment,” Tyler said. “There’re so many volunteer organizations and being service-minded was something that motivated me to make a difference.”

Tyler enjoyed the family business but was really fascinated with the idea of helping people who are in need. After speaking to his wife, Taylor Merrick ’99, it was time to start a new project—something that would help solve social issues. He wanted to fulfill human needs in the most effective way possible. 

His idea was to produce consumable goods that everyday people could purchase, such as bottled water, gum, and coffee, with each purchase making a contribution to benefit the environment and people around the world. Sales of those everyday products would go toward fulfilling seven basic human needs: providing clean water, food, shelter, education, medicine, a healthy environment and counseling for children who are victims of war.

“I didn’t have any doubts that it would work out in the beginning,” Tyler said. Now five years into existence, Tyler’s Project 7 organization has helped provide more than 1.2 million meals in American communities while treating and sheltering more than 30,000 individuals with malaria.

The good news doesn’t stop there. Since the start of 2013 alone, the business has provided education for 40,000 children in need, while feeding more than 104,000 people and planting 500,000 trees—with nearly 3.5 million trees total since the organization’s inception. 

The California-based business has successfully expanded and its products are now sold in stores nationwide. From growing his father’s business to starting one of his own, Tyler attributes his drive to A&M. “The challenge of graduating at Texas A&M was a big accomplishment and contribution to who I am today—I just continue to look for positive and pursue.”

Learn more about Project 7 at Project7.com