Zingermans has been an iconic Ann Arbor institution for over 40 years, but the company is so much more than just delicious sandwiches. They are leaders in the community and food service industry, founders of a nonprofit food rescue program and food bank, and deliver the Zingermans experience in eleven different businesses with roughly $70,000,000 in annual sales. All while staying true to their beliefs.

Although most of us don’t realize it, our beliefs have a major impact on how things go in our lives. What we believe may or may not be true, but unknowingly most of us will behave in ways that reinforce our beliefs anyway. In this workshop, keynote, Ari Weinzweig, Cofounding Partner of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, will take a look at how the impact of those beliefs likely plays out in our day-to-day experiences, and how our workplaces, social circles, and we are impacted by those beliefs. Whether we accept it or not, what we believe about ourselves, our organization, our co-workers, our boss, the work that we do and our ability to do it will significantly alter the outcomes we are seeking to achieve. And how, by becoming more mindful of our beliefs, we can effectively backtrack— by altering our beliefs, we change the way we see our work and the world and then, in turn, significantly alter the outcomes we get from our efforts.

Ari Weinzweig

Ari Weinzweig is CEO and co-founding partner of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, which includes Zingerman's Delicatessen, Bakehouse, Creamery, Catering, Mail Order, ZingTrain, Coffee Company, Roadhouse, Candy Manufactory, Events at Cornman Farms, Miss Kim, and Zingerman’s Food Tours.

Zingerman’s produces, sells, and serves all sorts of full flavored, traditional foods in its home of Ann Arbor, Michigan to the tune of $70,000,000 a year in annual sales. Ari was recognized as one of the “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America” by the 2006 James Beard Foundation and has awarded a Bon Appétit Lifetime Achievement Award, among many recognitions. Ari is the author of a number of articles and books, including Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating, Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon, Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service, Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 1: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business, Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading, Part 2: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Being a Better Leader, Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading, Part 3: A Lapsed Anarchist's Approach to Managing Ourselves, Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading, and Part 4: A Lapsed Anarchist's Approach to the Power of Beliefs in Business.

In 2017, Ari was named one of “The World's 10 Top CEOs (They Lead in a Totally Unique Way)” by Inc. Magazine. In 2018, he released the pamphlet, “The Art of Business: Why I Want to be an Artist.” Another pamphlet, “Going into Business with Emma Goldman” came out in June, 2019. “Humility: A Humble, Anarchistic Inquiry” came out in October, 2020. “Working Through Hard Times: Life and Leadership Learnings from 2020” was published in the first weeks of 2021 and “The Story of Visioning at Zingerman’s: Four Visions, Forty Years, and a Positive Look Towards the Future,” came out in the spring of 2022. Ari’s most recent work, “A Taste of Zingerman’s Food Philosophy: Forty Years of Mindful Cooking and Eating,” was published in April of 2023.