ENTREPRENEUR

The catering business is typically slow during Florida's hot, humid summers. So in 1989, CIA graduate Mitch Ross '87 took advantage of the down period to develop a recipe for a gourmet treat for his dog. When he saw how much Noodles liked the all-natural creation, he started baking and packaging and knocking on pet shop doors in earnest. After selling all the Bark Bars® he made that summer in less than a week, he knew he had a hit.

So Mitch sold his catering business and launched American Health Kennels, Inc. He and his wife Tammy have since turned the Pompano Beach, FL company into a big success. "We're an international company now, with 50 employees, and our products are in natural food markets, gift shops, pet food stores, and online."

—Mitch Ross '87
Owner/President
American Health Kennels, Inc.
Pompano Beach, FL

Entrepreneurs have strong beliefs about a market opportunity and are willing to accept a high level of personal, professional or financial risk to pursue that opportunity. They are committed; determined; opportunity obsessed; tolerant of risk, ambiguous and uncertain; motivated to excel, creative, self-reliance and have the ability to adapt. Successful entrepreneurs are those who can develop the right kinds of relationships with others inside and outside their business.