Michael was the founding employee and is currently the Director of Finance at a startup real estate developer in the DC Metro area. The firm has raised $31 million and controls over 15 acres in Northern Virginia. Prior to the pandemic he started a PropTech venture. Throughout his three decade career at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, he launched several departments, products, and services. He holds a BS in Finance from West Virginia University.

Liza has volunteered hundreds of hours in food services that feed the hungry. In the mid-2000s, she started a cleaning service for model homes, negotiating a contract with Integrity Builders. She worked in the insurance business for over 20 years at Fireman’s Fund and Traveler’s Insurance Companies covering the state of Virginia. She trained as an underwriter at the Aetna Institute and holds a BA in Psychology from West Virginia University.

Hatch Kitchen is a Richmond, VA based incubator/accelerator whose mission is to create opportunities for entrepreneurs, through shared commercial kitchen space, private food production suites, co-warehousing, mentorship, and support. The facility has given birth to over 80 brands. (Nightingale Ice Cream and Joyebell’s Pies). This community gives Mar Mar Foods the expertise it needs to scale production, maintain quality, and distribute products.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter is ranked the No. 1 graduate program in the United States (tied with Boston University) and the No. 2 graduate program globally by the One Club for Creativity, an international nonprofit. Their Global Creative College Rankings analyzes and acknowledges branding graduate programs worldwide. Through this school, Mar Mar Food Co has access to the highest level of branding knowledge and expertise.