Michael J. Coles, the cofounder of the Great American Cookie Company and the former CEO of Caribou Coffee, did not follow a conventional path into business – no Ivy League pedigree or MBA from a top-ten business school. He grew up poor, starting work at the age of thirteen, had many false starts and painful defeats, but Coles has a habit of defying expectations. His life and career have been about turning obstacles into opportunities, tragedies into triumphs, and poverty into philanthropy.
Time to Get Tough
Michael J. Coles
Michael J. Coles, the co-founder of the Great American Cookie Company and former CEO of Caribou Coffee, didn’t follow the conventional path into business: with no Ivy League pedigree or MBA from a top-ten business school. Coles grew up poor, started working at the age of thirteen, endured false starts and painful defeats – and defied all expectations. His life is a story of turning obstacles into opportunities, tragedies into triumphs, and poverty into philanthropy. His first-hand perspective on the business, political, and philanthropic climate in the last quarter of the twentieth century serves as an important case study in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Co-sponsored by Greater West Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce; Hollander, Ellison & Associates, PC
