WARREN, Mich. — Next time you sink your teeth into a delicious stuffed breadstick, think of the young and charismatic Armenian entrepreneur Mark Artinian. No businessman in Michigan can give you a positive prediction about the current economy and what you hear mostly about business here is gloom and doom. Not, however, at the Bosco Pizza plant, where Artinian is at the helm.
It takes tremendous business acumen, guts and a creative mind to take a simple idea and develop it into a nationwide business. Last year more than 100 million of the company’s pizzas and breadsticks and various other products were sold in 49 states. In fact, Bosco’s pizzas and stuffed breadsticks are served for lunch in many of the nation’s schools, and are also offered in plants, restaurants, recreation centers, sports arenas and theme parks.
Initially, Bosco’s, which was founded in 1988, only sold pizzas. In 1999, the company started producing its namesake cheese-filled breadsticks escalated their sales exponentially. Since its founding, the company’s sales have grown
nearly 20 percent every year. To provide the necessary production capability, the Artinians built a new plant in 2003.
Now, the company offers Bosco Sticks filled with apples, as well as their original one with cheese and later cheese and pepperoni.
When asked what the secret behind their success is, Mark’s father, Leo Artinian, a former Chrysler executive, jumped in with “Product quality and the treatment of the workforce.” Of course, the state-of-the-art manufacturing plant which is growing with a new department every year also contributes to the success. The fully automated plant employs a workforce of 130.
A brown-eyed charismatic entrepreneur who can sell you anything with his disarming smile. He is passionate about the quality of the food. For a long time he had hesitated between going into the sports business (his first passion) or the food business. He opted for the food business.
