SHARA Sooknarine Pathak has been called a “serial entrepreneur.”
Pathak brought passion and determination to contribute to society in every venture he launched, and his business acumen and leadership skills have made a huge difference in the United States.
Pathak has worked in three diverse, male-dominated industries: manufacturing, technology and brewing.
Born and raised in Trinidad, Pathak moved to the United States at age 16 when his father had a dream of starting his own business.
Inspired by this entrepreneurial spirit, she earned a degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and chose Orlando as the place to start her career and family life.
Pathak’s academic achievements include currently serving on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the UCF Burnet Honors College, and he has also served on the board of directors of Laserphotonics (ticker symbol LASE), an Orlando-based NASDAQ-listed company since its founding.
In Trinidad, Ms. Pathak attended St. Augustine Girls High School (SAGHS).
Today, Pathak is a proud wife and mother of two teenage boys, and a possible future entrepreneur for the Pathak family.
She and her family were “uprooted” from Trinidad and Tobago and emigrated to New York, where she completed her high school education.
Pathak is no stranger to business and innovation, and her family roots include an iconic role in the local printing industry with Cariflex, which was founded in 1974.
Her grandfather, Harry Souknarin, founded Califlex and served as a director, and her father, Jeff Souknarin, joined the company as managing director.
Cariflex went on to become the largest and most diversified printing company in the Caribbean, employing 250 people and operating 45 printing presses in Arima.
A year after moving to New York, Pathak’s family emigrated to London, Ontario, Canada.
There she enrolled at the University of Western Ontario, after which the family moved to Orlando, Florida.
All five family members then founded Price Chopper Wristbands, and Pathak worked full time in the business while continuing his studies at the University of Central Florida.
She graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and soon took over the reins of Price Chopper as President. Pathak has led the company through unprecedented growth and diversification while breaking down barriers in a male-dominated industry.
She describes her entrepreneurial approach as “creative, collaborative and determined.” Balancing ambition with empathy, she “prioritizes the importance of risk-taking and caring about people.”
Headquartered in Pathak’s hometown of Orlando, the four businesses provide solutions and entertainment that connect more than 20,000 customers around the world, with more than 20 million customers transacting with Price Chopper Wristbands, Price Chopper Medical, TapNGo™ and the new Brewlando Craft Brewery each year.
Pathak has revolutionised the wristband manufacturing industry by venturing into in-house software development.
A pioneer, she has ensured her company remains ahead of the curve and continues to evolve with modern trends.
She said her ambition and passion to pioneer new advancements enabled her to propel her business to the forefront of innovation at a time when only a few women were leading the manufacturing industry.
Women make up a small percentage of manufacturing companies in Central Florida, but Pathak is breaking down barriers and leading innovation as president of Price Chopper Wristbands, a 27-year-old industry leader that makes wristbands and identification products. Pathak has been with the business since its inception and has grown it to a company of more than 100 employees serving 20,000 businesses around the world.
The company’s notable client list includes everything from Cedar Fair Entertainment and Universal Studios to nearly every sports team and concert venue across the United States.
Pathak said he is “committed to continuously evolving the company’s products” and has ventured into the software development world as a way for the company to “leverage tomorrow’s technologies.”
With the acquisition of a UK-based software company in January 2020, Pathak has established its capabilities to create a host of new features that differentiate it from its competitors.
This development of Tap N Go technology makes Price Chopper the only wristband company in the world to own and develop its RFID software platform in-house, providing clients with a one-stop, turnkey offer for a cashless software platform, enabling a seamless manufacturing process from start to finish.
Under her direction, Price Chopper Medical also manufactures a range of wristbands for use in the medical industry. These are primarily used for patient identification in hospitals and nursing homes around the world, and the company sells them through a large international distributor network.
In 2020, Pathak founded TapNGo™ technology startup, a “touchless technology” company, as a sister company to Price Chopper.
It’s a platform that will modernize cash payment systems for large events, from music and food festivals to state fairs.
The business is growing exponentially by enabling events in any location, including rural areas without internet or connectivity, to provide guests with chipped wristbands that leverage the latest trends in seamless guest experiences, including cashless payments, Gen Z travel, and data analytics.
This “unique platform” will manage admission and access to the event, as well as the sale of all merchandise, including food and beverages, in a completely cashless environment, with or without an internet connection.
The Orlando-based company has grown rapidly in four years, installing its technology at more than 100 events across the United States.
The company also processed more than $40 million in customer transactions.
The technology is currently used at 20% of official U.S. state fairs, and customers include more than 50 state and county fairs across the U.S. Looking ahead to 2024, Pathak predicts another 50% growth by the end of the year.
After finding success at a tech startup, Pathak set her sights on a new challenge: the world of beer brewing, an industry where less than 2% of owners are women.
She founded Brewland Brewery with the vision to “create beers that evoke the spirit of the country’s most famous vacation destinations.”
The 10,000 square foot microbrewery and taproom is located just a stone’s throw from Orlando International Airport and is the largest brewery in Central Florida in both size and selection.
In Brewland, most breweries produce an average of 8-16 seasonal and craft beers in-house, a number that is “staggering.”
Brewland beer is also well on its way to successful distribution across destinations.
Currently, the drinks can be enjoyed at 40 distribution locations, including Icon Park, the 20-acre entertainment complex along International Drive, popular theme park food festivals at SeaWorld and Disney’s Epcot Center, and a variety of local restaurants and bars stretching from Sanford to Melbourne. Pathak said a second store is scheduled to open in August 2024 in one of Orlando’s busiest and most popular tourist destinations.
Brewlando plans to open a second location this August at ICON Park, home of the Orlando Eye along International Drive.
The 20-acre complex is home to a variety of restaurants, bars and world-class attractions.
