This food pioneer wants you to remember that good things take a long time.

This interview with Paul Saginaw, co-founder of Zingerman's Deli and Zingerman's Community of Businesses, is part of Inspirations, a regular series from Helen Lao and ClearPath that asks extraordinary founders, executives, and rising stars in the growth-oriented food industry about their why.

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Who or what inspires you and why?

I find inspiration in almost anything - art, music, books, articles, interviews, relationships, challenges, failures, and successes.

What types of people do you work best with and why?

Anyone who's willing to put up with me.

What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far and why?

Raising my two boys. It has been the most humbling work that I've ever undertaken.

What’s something you’ve worked on that you’re proud of and why?

In 1988, I founded a "Food Rescue Program." It was the first in Michigan (we didn't know at the time that's was it was) and we believe the third in the country. I was inspired by an article that I read about a group of food photographers in NYC. They went around the city in a van picking up food after photo shoots and delivering it to the Salvation Army.

What’s been one of your greatest rewards in business and why?

The ability to use business as a vehicle to impact the social, educational and cultural vitality of our community in a positive way. Watching a young employee who could barely deliver a glass of water to a table when she started, managing a 6 million dollar department. Providing the opportunity for ownership and partnership in our brand and now having 18 partners who took advantage of that. I guess that's more than one.

Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self and why?

Learn to tell the difference between an idea that "sounds good" and a "sound idea." Good things––things of significance––take a long time. The only things that happen quickly are catastrophes. Slow is fast, simple is beautiful. Everyone has a story. Generosity leads to joy, plain and simple.

What's the one word that describes you and why?

I would say, "curious" because I believe that curiosity has driven, guided, inspired me throughout my career.

What’s one company, brand, or individual that you admire and why?

Max DePree, the former CEO of Herman Miller. I read his book, The Art of Leadership when I was a young business owner trying to be a good manager. It is a very short book, but I believe that it has influenced me more than any of the hundred or so books about leadership that I have read. He is the leader that I have strived to be like.

What is one thing you’d like to accomplish this year and why?

I would like to work with my wife, Lori, to create a shared vision for the rest of our lives. I want to make the most of the time that we both have left in this life.

What is one book that you think everyone should read and why?

The Catcher in the Rye. Why? Because we are all outsiders.

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About ClearPath

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