The Importance of Building Strong and Meaningful Client Relationships:
Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodles

I had a unique and rewarding experience working with 3rd Generation owners of Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodles, Chris and Joan Borgatti. The business, which started in 1935 in New York, had become one of the most popular destinations in the Arthur Avenue area of the Bronx. In 2013, I began working with Borgatti’s with the plan to position them online and find a way to ship their pasta to the generations of customers that had moved out of the area and across the country. This would help the business completely evolve and be prepared for the demands of online shipping as it became more common. This opportunity would create an entirely new business for the Borgatti family and it was something I had been deeply interested in working on, immersing myself into responsibilities beyond the bounds of marketing.

To make this happen, many things needed to be done that had never been done before. One of the most important aspects of work required in the early stages revolved around testing. Shipping perishable items was no easy feat, especially ravioli which needed to be kept above a certain temperature. We needed to determine how long the perishable products could last in transit to get to their destination safely and presentable. Testing required different types of order variations and packaging products to help us understand best and worst case scenarios, and account for everything in between. These tests proved to be very difficult, but were the only way we would begin to understand how to ensure the safe delivery of Borgatti’s ravioli. Along with the testing done in the early stages, foundational systems needed to be in place for customers to purchase the products online. I went on to develop and manage each of those critical systems, which included programming, purchasing capability and marketing. All of these things would eventually begin working seamlessly together. The work that had been done in those years helped to build the foundation needed to keep the family tradition going.

Over the years, Borgatti’s has often gotten media attention. In addition to regularly being the subject of various new stories and television shows, Borgatti’s even had a mini documentary filmed for Google’s education program called Grow with Google, which I played a critical role in setting up. These kinds of opportunities began to happen more and proved to help drive online sales as a result, growing the customer base beyond those with personal stories from their childhood.

I found this experience to be one of the most rewarding and meaningful of my career and am grateful for the opportunity to play such a significant role in it. I value the strong and meaningful relationship built with the Borgatti’s and believe that this is essential for success in business.