President and Co-Founder
SAGE Dining Services, Inc.
Lutherville, Maryland
Paco Rodriguez is the founding president of SAGE Dining Services®.
Paco graduated from MIT with a degree in Political Science. After MIT, he was accepted to Harvard University’s joint JD/MBA program, attending both Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School and graduating in 4 years.
After Harvard, Paco worked in the New York Office of McKinsey & Company, the international strategy consulting firm. After marrying Tina Rodriguez, he left McKinsey, moved to Boston, and worked briefly in the gourmet ice cream business. Ice cream led to a position as a Vice President in the school and college division at one of the large food service companies.
In 1990, Paco and Tina founded SAGE Dining Services® from a bedroom of their house. SAGE is an acronym for “Setting A Good Example®” which describes the corporate philosophy they wanted the new company to exhibit. Surprisingly, they were able to trademark the expression.
SAGE began with four accounts in four states, and under Paco and Tina’s leadership, has grown to 275 schools in 37 states plus the District of Columbia and Canada. Two of their four children work at the firm.
A frequent speaker on management strategy, Paco enjoys presenting leadership lessons based on the Battle of Gettysburg. A wine collector and connoisseur, he hosts frequent wine tastings for SAGE managers and clients.
Paco and Tina were recognized in 2020 as two of the most influential Marylanders, and in 2021 jointly received the Sarah P. Daignault Award from the National Business Officers Association.
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Monday, February 21, 2022
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM CT