Entrepreneur Leadership Series – Joel Clark & Jon Clark

Joel Clark & Jon Clark, Founders of Kodiak Cakes
Jon started Kodiak Cakes in 1994 based on his Mother’s suggestion of creating a whole-grain food mix company. At the time, he had completed his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Utah and was working for the OC Tanner Company in Salt Lake City. In 1995, Jon’s brother, Joel, came on board and helped sell Kodiak Cakes in resort towns and gift stores. In 1997, when Jon decided to go back to the University of Utah for an MBA, he turned the tiny company over to his brother Joel who has developed it into a nationally recognized brand. Joel was a 23-year- old economics major attending the University of Utah when the company was handed to him. Over the next 12 years, Joel juggled side jobs, earned an MBA from Oxford University, and still found time to make Kodiak Cakes a success.