Mark Rosenzweig is an extraordinary Innovator – Inventor – Entrepreneur, and the inspiring CEO of SharkNinja – a brand famous for its innovative cleaning solutions and small household appliances. Founded by him in 1994, SharkNinja has grown from strength to strength and established a strong reputation in the industry.
Birth & Family Background
Mark Rosenzweig is a third-generation entrepreneur who hails from Montreal, Canada. His family has extensive business experience that spans over one hundred years, which has heavily influenced him to pursue his own entrepreneurial venture.
Mark is passionate about the exploration and development of innovative small appliances, and he has created a successful brand that sells them both in Canada and the United States. As an innovator, discoverer, developer, and disruptor, he has become a prominent figure in his field.
Education
Mark graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School.
Career
In 1994, Mark returned to Montreal from Los Angeles where he had been working in the entertainment industry, holding various positions at Sony International Television and UTA. Mark’s family business, Jolson Corp, was already well-established, as it had been founded by his grandparents, Benjamin and Miriam Jolson, in 1954.
Initially, Jolson Corp sold sewing machines through a dealer network in Canada; later, Mark’s parents expanded the business to include industrial sewing machines, which were sold to various companies in the Canadian apparel manufacturing industry.
Mark, with the help of his parents, Max and Aviva, established Euro-Pro, aspiring to create products that consumers would appreciate and discuss. The initial merchandise sold under the Euro-Pro label consisted of Italian-made domestic ironing systems, shortly followed by steam presses, domiciliary sewing machines, and food processors. In their first complete financial year, Euro-Pro achieved almost $1 million in sales (1996).
Mark spearheaded a successful media and infomercial campaign, which saw Euro-Pro North America branch out to include products like the “Shark” vacuum cleaners, Euro-Pro and Bravetti high-performance blending blades, and heated kitchen appliances. The sales of the top-notch merchandise grew even further as Mark became the face of the brand, hosting infomercials and introduction spots on various shopping networks.
By fiscal 2000, sales reached $100 million dollars and then $250 million by fiscal 2003.
From 2003 to 2006, Mark got the help of his brother Stanley Rosenzweig, a Harvard MBA from 1991, who had experience with multinational companies marketing and producing small appliances. The goal was to move the business from Montreal to Boston in order to restructure and take it to the next level. In 2007, Max also joined in and together they created the highly successful Shark steam mops as well as vacuum technology that ensured no loss of suction. This helped Euro-Pro gross sales reach over $400 million US dollars by the end of fiscal 2009.
Mark Barrocas, a successful executive at private equity-backed companies, joined Euro-Pro in fiscal 2009 as President. This duo worked diligently on innovative product development and high-quality manufacturing, adding Ninja kitchen appliances and a full line of vacuum cleaners. As a result of their collaborative efforts, Euro-Pro reached gross sales of over half a billion US dollars in fiscal year 2010 and extended to $1 billion in 2013.
By the end of 2017, SharkNinja had over 1,000 associates, newfound robotic vacuums, and heated ninja appliances, reaching sales of almost $2 billion.
Honors & Awards
Mark Rosenzweig and SharkNinja have been honored with three Red Dot Awards for Product Design in March 2019. These awards recognize the outstanding design of the Ninja Hot & Cold Brewed System, Shark ION W1 Cordless Handheld Vacuum and the Ninja Smart Screen Blender DUO with FreshVac Technology.