Highlights
Join a panel of Cosmos Corporation leaders as they discuss their workplace culture, which is guided by a clear vision, mission and promise, and fostered daily by how employees live core values. Panelists will share how Cosmos strategically hires to ensure candidates will be a cultural fit, how the company’s enhanced focus on continuous improvement is integral to its culture, and how a tailored program equips and empowers employees to achieve personal and professional goals and grow holistically.
Overview
Cosmos's company culture enables it to succeed by ensuring employees are aligned and working toward the same purpose. This commitment allows the company to meaningfully differentiate itself from the competition by thoroughly understanding customer needs, providing innovative solutions, and moving nimbly to provide speed to market—all of which drive sales when Cosmos products make it into a consumer’s shopping cart.
Headquartered in Saint Peters, Missouri, Cosmos is a family-owned company and a leader in the pet industry. Cosmos is a St. Louis Small Business Monthly 2021 Future 50 Company, which recognizes the 50 fast-growing companies in the Greater St. Louis area. It is also a St. Louis Business Journal 2022 Best Places to Work finalist and a St. Louis Post-Dispatch 2021 Top Workplace in the St. Louis region.
Company
Cosmos Corporation, headquartered in Saint Peters, Missouri, is a family-owned company and a leader in the pet industry, selling and distributing quality pet products to 70+ countries around the world and 43,000+ retailers. Cosmos offers an extensive portfolio of health and wellness products in the dental, grooming, flea & tick, and stain & odor categories among three leading brands: TropiClean® Pet Products, Naturél Promise® Pet Products, and Urine Off® Pet Products. Cosmos products span the pet specialty channel and the food, drug and mass market. Cosmos also serves private-label customers. Our products are made in the USA with naturally derived ingredients. www.cosmoscorp.com
Presenters
Chez Barbosa joined Cosmos in October 2021 to create a program to equip and empower employees with the resources necessary for their holistic growth and development. He has worked with people in all stages of life/career, helping them develop personally and professionally. He has led organizations, started businesses and held various executive leadership roles across a variety of industries—all of which have allowed him to gain a deeper insight into people. Barbosa holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, and a master’s degree in psychology and counseling from Missouri Baptist University. He is board certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. 
Matt Bingaman joined Cosmos in September 2021 to foster a continuous improvement culture through education and leading process improvement. He is focused on action-oriented root cause problem solving on the factory floor and in the office using a variety of lean concepts. Before joining Cosmos, he was director of continuous improvement for a Fortune 500 company and held various positions in project management and engineering. Bingaman is a certified lean champion and Six Sigma Black Belt with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri–Rolla and a master's degree in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Stacie Harrell has worked at Cosmos since 2016 and has more than 20 years of human resources and business management experience. She started her career with the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, which prides itself on a strong workplace culture and employee development. She has leveraged that experience to repeatedly advance healthy workplace cultures in the non-profit, education and corporate sectors. Harrell holds a bachelor’s degree and a master's degree in human resource management from Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri.
Landon Hobson has served as Cosmos Corporation's chief executive officer since December 2017. In that time, the Cosmos workforce has expanded from approximately 100 employees to more than 250 employees today; the company has also seen 275 percent topline growth. Hobson joined Cosmos in January 2016 as director of operations. Previously, he served in various roles at Columbia University, most recently as assistant director of operations. Hobson holds a master’s degree in public administration with a focus in international economics from Columbia University in New York as well as a master’s in Christian thought from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business, tourism and hospitality development from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Hobson also holds a certificate in leadership & development from Columbia University.
Patrick Ross has worked at Cosmos for 12 years, serving in several manufacturing leadership roles. Ross leads with humility and leverages his military service background to motivate and empower an engaged workforce to rapidly adapt to evolving business needs. He holds a bachelor's degree in management from Missouri Baptist University and serves on the board of the Missouri Association of Manufacturing.
