Marcellus' Chocolate Pizza Company recognized as 'Business of the Year'
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Chocolate Pizza Company in Marcellus, known for such products as their Chocolate Pizza and Peanut Butter Wings, has been honored as "Business of the Year, 2016," by CenterState CEO.
Accepting the award for Chocolate Pizza Company at the award gathering, which was attended by nearly 1,000 Upstate New York business professionals, was its owner Ryan Novak. Novak, now 27, started at the company as a dishwasher when he was 15 and bought the company six years later while he was still a senior attending Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management.
Since Novak took over, the small shop has undergone dramatic changes under his leadership. The company has seen sales quadruple since 2010 and last fall opened a new, 10,000 square foot production and retail facility in Novak's hometown of Marcellus. The company has even been featured on the Food Network, and now has products sold at thousands of retailers across the country.
"What our team has accomplished is remarkable," Novak said, "We are proud to be recognized as Business of the Year and look forward to continuing to build on that success."
CenterState CEO, which is a 12-county business leadership and economic development organization, awards top businesses each year in five categories. Chocolate Pizza Company was awarded as the best among companies with under 50 employees.
