Zingerman's Community of Businesses

Paul Saginaw is a native Detroiter, whose earthy language and self-deprecating one-liners—“my high school class voted me Least Likely to Have a Positive Effect on Society”—betray his pure genius. At 16 he started the Let the Sunshine In Window Washing Company. This was followed by the Pongo Painting Company. Then, after dropping out of a public health program in grad school, he worked at a local restaurant. “After a while, you kind of look around and realize this is what you’re going to do.” He started Monahan’s Fish Market in 1979 with partner Mike Monahan, a business that still operates. But his biggest catch was his former co-worker, Ari, who joined Paul in rehabilitating a tiny corner grocery store into a delicatessen.

The Zingerman’s name? Well, that’s totally made up. Shortly before opening the deli under the originally planned name, Greenberg’s, another Greenberg’s let Paul and Ari know that the name was already taken. Armed with beer, phone books, and the advice of Paul’s grandfather, the two entrepreneurs concluded that they wanted something at the beginning or at the end of the alphabet, something Yiddish sounding, something, well, zingy. This clever use of language, design, images—light, irreverent, funny—remains one of the hallmarks of the Zingerman’s experience.

The original business model envisioned the deli also serving as a neighborhood grocery store. Paul and Ari set out to have great local sandwiches alongside fine, artisan-made food products from around the world. In the years since, they have won blind corned- beef tasting competitions in New York City and become one of the top sellers of traditional cheeses in the United States.

Also integral to the original vision was a meaningful workplace—a place with dignity, a sense of community, and opportunities for ownership. Says Paul, “We are at the top of this industry in terms of specialty or fair food, but we’re not accumulating a lot of wealth. We can’t give our workers high six-figure salaries. But we can give them ownership in a really great brand.”

No part of the business receives greater attention than the employees. The first day orientation for new employees is always given by Paul or Ari. “It’s the last thing we would ever delegate,” emphasizes Paul. “It’s very important that you hear from the founders what it is we are trying to accomplish as an organization. I tell people that if you want to stake a career here, I have a responsibility to work with you and see that it happens.”