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Pacific Vet Group, a leading distributor of animal health products in Asia, announced Monday that it has purchased the products and assets of Sigrah-Zellet, LLC, of Fayetteville. The new entity, named Pacific Vet Group-USA, will be headquartered in Fayetteville.

According to the press release announcing the deal, the newly-formed company will research, develop and commercialize products for global use in the poultry industry.

Started in 2003 by Billy Hargis, Guillermo (Memo) Tellez and Chris Pixley, Sigrah-Zellet created products developed from research carried out within the University of Arkansas' Division of Agriculture. 

Pixley serves as vice president of operations. David Benson is the company's marketing VP.

"The establishment of Pacific Vet Group-USA will lead to exciting new products for the poultry industry," said CEO William Davies. "The products developed by Sigrah-Zellet are among the most researched and proven in their class. We expect to expand the product line with new and innovative offerings while growing the business geographically through the international resources of the Pacific Vet Group.

Davies said the company plans to continue its relationships with researchers at the UA.

Pacific Vet Group is a privately held $27 million animal health company with sales and marketing operations in Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. The company expects future growth in China, Vietnam, the U.S. and Mexico. It employs about 100 people worldwide.

"I think this is another very significant announcement again showing the extraordinary research that has and is taking place at the UA," said Steve Rust, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Economic Development Council. "This is research that leads to the commercialization of new products that make the world a better place to live. Dr. Billy Hargis' research team and company Sigrah-Zellet produce beneficial bacteria that increase the growth rate of chickens."

Rust noted that the new products created by Pacific Vet Group-USA have the ability to accelerate growth in chickens without the use of hormones.

"Chicken growers can get the accelerated growth that would normally only be possible with a growth hormone," Rust said. "But this is totally natural."

The acquired products, all of which were developed with UA technology, include the following:

• FloraMax-B11, a proven, all-natural Lactobacillus product for use in poultry. FM-B11 has been shown to reduce pathogen loads and improve poultry performance in a variety of conditions.
• Perform-Max Optimizer II, an organic antimicrobial treatment for water that stimulates water consumption and reduces dehydration. Perform-Max Optimizer II is commonly used by poultry producers during times of heat stress and upon feed withdrawal.
• EarlyBird, a nutritional supplement for newly hatched poultry. EarlyBird has been shown to reduce post hatch mortality and improve weight gain and feed conversion in broilers and turkeys.