World's Greatest Party! - Delta Sigma Pi

Deltasig July 06 7/6/06 7:55 AM Page 24
Jared Katz in the Business of Lasagna Chips
by Rob Heaton
Counting his chips . . . Jared Katz, New Orleans, shows off four flavors of
A&J Snack Foods lasagna chips.Visit www.aandjsnackfoods.com or
www.lasagnachips.com to place an order!
The year was 1988. Lainie Katz, who for years had made
lasagna chips for her family and friends, decided to start a
small business to sell her tasty treats. Fast forward to 2006
where A&J Snack Foods, Inc., has begun to take off—albeit
under different management. Lainie’s son Jared Katz, New
Orleans, picked up the idea in 2003 after a long layoff.
This business wasn’t Jared’s first venture. After graduating
with a degree in financial economics from Tulane in 1993,
Brother Katz immediately pursued graduate school at New
Orleans. After realizing that wasn’t for him, Jared traveled to
Israel for three years. When he returned, he took a short-lived
position on Wall Street—just as the post-9/11 recession
reached its height.
“My wife asked me,‘What are you going to do now?’”Katz
recalled. Nothing was opening on Wall Street. Academia had
already proven unsuccessful. But almost like a light bulb
switching on, Jared, now 35, remembered his mother’s attempt
at manufacturing.
“She had no idea what was involved going into manufacturing,
so after a year she closed shop,”Katz said.“There were
24 JULY 2006/THE DELTASIG OF DELTA SIGMA PI
many mistakes made,” including equipment, packaging, marketing,
location and other factors. So when Brother Katz made
up his mind to go into the snack food business, he did his
homework. “The toughest part is you have to teach yourself
how to do everything,” Katz said,“from fixing linear form and
seal machines, to replacing broken bearings. Half the time I
was asking myself, ‘This is what I went to graduate school
for?’”
Katz faced numerous other challenges, including
securing a sensible location, purchasing
the right factory equipment, establishing relationships
with suppliers, and hiring affordable,
reliable labor. He also fell victim to an
out-of-state web developer who took his
money and ran.“If you think starting a manufacturing
venture from scratch is difficult,
multiply it by a million,”Katz said.
After fixing several production issues in
2005, the hard work and countless hours of
research began to pay off for the Brooklyn,
N.Y.-based company. In addition to featuring
the products at trade shows in San
Francisco, Chicago and New York this year,
Katz recently found distributors and retailers
interested in the lasagna chips.“We’re
getting an unbelievable response,” Katz
said.“I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot by mentioning
names, but we should be in stores all over the country within
the next year.” Beyond attaining wider distribution, Katz has
further plans for A&J Snack Foods. “Right now we have four
flavors in two sizes,” Katz said.“We want to exhaust the pasta
chip idea, with more colors, seasonings, and other variations.”
Brother Katz is a great example of having patience to find
his place, which he truly thought was on Wall Street. But even
more than that, he had the right background for it. As for his
collegiate years in Deltasig, he recalls pledging, golfing, and “all
the good times spent together”with his brothers. As his chapter’s
treasurer, he took the initiative to switch from recording
transactions on paper to using Quicken, which has helped him
in using QuickBooks today.“The motivation and ability to take
on a leadership position carries you throughout life. When you
want to accomplish something or improve upon something in
business, you have to stay focused and communicate your
goals.” Katz said. “This was the major lesson I took with me
from Delta Sigma Pi.”
Ultimately, Katz believes that people want to see the results
of their job. For him, it’s all worthwhile when he sees the product
shipping out and on shelves in stores, or when he hears
from a satisfied customer.“That’s closure,”Katz said.“Every day
is closure.” ▲