Food & Beverage: Jobs Landed

I wear several hats - a student, entrepreneur, and intern at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.  

I graduated in May 2010 with a BBA from the Ross School of Business, minor in Environmental Studies, and College of Engineering Certificate of Entrepreneurship.  At the University, I was the president of the Net Impact Undergraduate chapter at the University of Michigan, leading and growing a group of students to use their careers to make a positive impact in the world.  I completed a nine-month project on the voluntary carbon market (link to http://erb.umich.edu/Research/Student-Projects.htm), and I have advised individuals and organizations on carbon instruments.  I have been recognized for my on-campus sustainability and entrepreneurship efforts, as a 2009 Graham Scholar, Dare to Dream grant award recipient, and 2009 Student Entrepreneur of the Year, among others.  I have also been involved with the Sustainable Energy Fellowship (www.teachenergy.org) for over two years.    

I have been pursuing entrepreneurial ventures since high school and my efforts have been awarded with grants and awards (including acceptance to the 2009 and 2010 Clinton Global Initiative and 2009 Lakeshore's Next Top Entrepreneur). I have completed business plans for, pitched, launched, and developed companies in the food and beverage and clean tech industries, and social ventures.  I have grown my family’s Italian treats retail/catering business, Iorio's (www.iorios.com) since its launch. Currently, I am helping start-up companies in the clean tech, food and beverage, consumer products, and nonprofit sectors, while continuing to build the entrepreneurial community in Michigan.

At the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, I assist with the Capital Access Program, 21st Century and Venture Michigan Funds, and helped raise $12 million for the Michigan Supplier Diversification Fund.  I organized the inaugural Entrepreneurial Tailgate, bringing together the Michigan entrepreneurial community, and continue to build the resources and programs for Michigan companies and entrepreneurs.

Food First by Jennifer is a company that specializes in educating people on how to optimize energy and prevent disease. It is designed to teach people the healing properties of food and empower them to make simple changes to improve their health and lives.

After graduating from Michigan State University, I had a continuum of health issues that compromised my quality of life. It wasn’t until I took a natural approach that my health dramatically improved. I speak to companies, associations and do one-on-one consultations with individuals educating them on the “food first” philosophy.

As the Development Coordinator at BIGGBY COFFEE, my role is to assist potential franchisees by answering any of their questions or concerns in regard to owning and operating their future BIGGBY COFFEE store. After creating a dialogue between the inquirer and corporate, I invite them to join us for a Discovery Day, which I coordinate and host twice a month at the BIGGBY COFFEE Home Office. Discovery Days are a day-long event where corporate presents all the information potential franchisees would need and want to make the decision to move forward. My job is awesome! Not only do I drink great coffee (that is a given), but also, my coworkers are fantastic, the day flies by while juggling multiple creative projects, and, most importantly, I have the pleasure of communicating daily with people who want to take control of their careers and B passionate entrepreneurs!

Currently, I am a member of the Public Relations Society of America's Central Michigan Chapter, and I am eagerly anticipating my Michigan State University Alumni Association membership approval.
    
On May 6, 2011, I graduated from the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences -- in a total of three years -- with a Bachelor's degree in communication, specializing in public relations and minoring in sociology. During my academic career, I held the positions of Marketing Intern at Baseline Data Services, LLC, Event Planning Intern at Jonathan Witz & Associates, and Writing/Media Relations Intern at the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

When I turned 30, I realized that I was not doing what I wanted to do. I had a plan for myself to have this list of accomplishments done by 30 and a number of them were not fulfilled. So I decided to start a business that would fulfill my passion for food and at the same time was flexible for me to continue my education. So I decided to start a personal chef business where I would go to people's homes and prepare meals for the week. I was fortunate to shadow another personal chef in the area to see what it's like. I really enjoyed it. From that day, I immersed myself in building this business. I plan to branch out and do catering, cooking classes and my own restaurant.  

Follow me on Twitter @naomisdish

So far I have been working in customer service as a team leader, I will be moving around to different departments (general merchandise, product flow, supermarket, etc.) in the Kalamazoo market- move to upper management position in approximately 3-5 years.

I work in business development at BIGGBY COFFEE Home Office. When someone is interested in opening a new BIGGBY COFFEE, I am their first point of contact. I recruit for and coordinate Discovery Days which is where interested new business owners visit our Home Office, learn more about our company. I work with prospective business owners up to the point of contract signing.