Guest A.J. Marcinek co-founded CropShop while attending Endicott College and hasn’t looked back since graduating in Spring 2019. The young entrepreneur’s hot startup is already thriving at fulfilling its mission to bridge the gap between chefs and local sustainable sources of food in the Boston area. As the CEO of CropShop, Marcinek is responsible for the business and customer facing roles -- including personally picking up and delivering products from farms to kitchens -- while cofounder Cam Bleck is responsible for software engineering with an operational knack. While at Endicott, Marcinek competed in the college’s Spark Tank, a startup competition in which CropShop won first place. He has a tenacious attitude that may come from his years playing junior hockey and collegiate hockey. As an Endicott undergrad, Marcinek worked closely with previous Boston Speaks Up guest Deirdre Sartorelli at the Angel Center for Entrepreneurship where he learned what investors would be looking for and how best to position CropShop for the future. Now, CropShop works with local restaurants and farmers all over the greater Boston area including Ledger, Oak + Rowan, La Chanterelle, Alprilla Farm, Appleton Farms, and Mehaffey Farm. CropShop recently unveiled its new digital platform at https://cropshopmarket.com/. Discover more Boston Speaks Up at Boston Business Journal's BostInno: www.americaninno.com/boston/boston-speaks-up/
