An Entrepreneur Takes on The Apprentice

Even Donald Trump seemed a bit sad when he fired Daniel Brody (MBA ’99) on Episode 5 of this season’s Apprentice. Not only was the amiable contestant competent, he was obviously a nice guy in a veritable nest of vipers. (Those familiar with the NBC reality show, currently in its fifth season, know how nasty things can get.) Brody’s integrity may have hastened his dismissal from a show that thrives on obnoxious behavior, but in the real world, it’s defined his life and career.

The Bronx-born, Miami-raised Brody first flexed his entrepreneurial skills in his teens with a boxed candy route he started with a friend. Already a believer in doing good—in addition to doing well—he volunteered on weekends at a local Sunday school for challenged youth. After high school, Brody spent a year in Israel before coming back to New York to attend Yeshiva University. While there, he worked at a home for mentally and physically challenged adults. After graduating from Yeshiva in 1996, he studied business at Baruch while working full time at Marriott International, where he became property controller. Once he obtained his MBA, Brody opened Grandma’s Cookie Jar, a café in Washington Heights, which he operated until 2002. He expanded the eatery into a wholesale bakery, during which time he created the “Scoop & Bake” and “Tub-O-Dough” packaging, later adapted by Pillsbury.

Brody then switched gears and joined Hearthstone, a provider of research and care for Alzheimer’s patients, where he became New York director of marketing. His next entrepreneurial venture was Swan Hat Co., a headwear and accessory business he started with his brother Steven in 2003. The next year, he created the Brody Sport line of high-end casual wear.

With this resume, it’s no surprise that the successful businessman and father of two was chosen out of nearly 600,000 applicants to be a contestant on The Apprentice. Maybe Donald himself picked up a few pointers from his would-be protégé.

—Marina Zogbi