From Winning the Competition to Building Businesses
The ideas for these businesses may have been born in the academy, but they are anything but esoteric. For five years, teams of Baruch students have developed business plans and gone on to develop exciting new companies as part of Baruch’s entrepreneurship competition.
One such success story involves fine fast food. In 2002– 2003, Ricardo Rezk (MBA ’03), Marlena Brawer-Fass (MBA ’03), Julia Miller, and Moupiyasi Mukherjee (MBA ’03) won second prize for a business called Yummy Pockets. Renamed Rico M. Panada and launched last fall, the business produces healthful empanadas—half-sandwich-sized baked pies made with natural ingredients and a variety of fillings. Located in the Bronx, Rico M. Panada’s central commissary sells to cafes, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, caterers, institutions, and the government, as well as to individuals directly or through its retail location.
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