Nearly a decade ago, when Ron Parikh and three of his friends were in college, they put their intense entrepreneurial energies together and bought up a billiards parlor. A few years later, they entered the restaurant business by opening up a franchise of Genghis Grill, a Mongolian stir-fry restaurant. Today, their Chalak Group of Companies owns the franchise rights to the restaurant, which now has 13 operating units. Genghis Grill lets customers create their own meals by selecting ingredients from a food bar and then letting a grill master cook it all up in a public performance. As Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Ron, 27, develops marketing plans for the Genghis Grill brand and supports the individual restaurants with advertising, promotions, and branding the concept. The aim of it all is to grow Genghis Grill into as many locations as possible and turn the brand into a household name. Check out this amazing young restaurateur in this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
Having a successful business depends so much on marketing and branding your product or service in just the right way. That’s where Srimoyi Kaushal, 34, and her public relations agency, Peepul PR, come to the rescue. Peepul offers businesses – from international corporations to fledgling start-ups – services that include branding, product launches, web design, online marketing, promotional events, media relations, and even celebrity endorsements. The agency focuses on lifestyle PR, which includes PR for businesses in the fashion, beauty, luxury, hospitality, arts, and food and beverage industries. Peepul uses its team members’ cross-cultural backgrounds to work in multi-ethnic and international markets. It highlights U.S. companies seeking to enter the market in India, as well as Indian brands that are trying to extend their global reach. To read more about Srimoyi, Managing Director of Peepul PR, check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile.