SHARA Sooknarine Pathak has been described as a “serial entrepreneur”.
Passionate about every venture she initiates, as well as her commitment to giving back to society, Pathak’s business acumen and leadership roles have made her a game-changer in the United States.
Pathak has been making her mark in three diverse, male dominated industries – manufacturing, technology and brewing.
Born and raised in Trinidad, Pathak moved to the US at age 16, where her father arrived with dreams of starting his own business.
Inspired by this entrepreneurial spirit, she graduated with a degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and chose Orlando to launch her own career and family life.
Pathak’s academic legacy includes her current membership on the Dean’s Advisory Board for UCF Burnett Honors College, while she is also an original Board Member of an Orlando based NASDAQ Publicly Traded Company, Laserphotonics (Ticker Symbol LASE).
In Trinidad, Pathak attended St Augustine Girls’ High School (SAGHS).
Pathak is also today a proud wife and mother of two teenage boys – and possible future Pathak entrepreneurs.
She and her family were “uprooted” from Trinidad & Tobago and moved to New York, where she completed her high school education.
Pathak is no stranger to business and innovation, as her family’s roots included an iconic role in the local printing industry since 1974, with the start of the company Cariflex.
After her grandfather Harry Sooknarine started Cariflex and became its governing director, her father, Jeff Sooknarine, also joined 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.
One year after moving to New York, Pathak’s family relocated to London, Ontario, Canada.
There, she entered the University of Western Ontario, until another move took the family to Orlando, Florida.
All five members of the family then started Price Chopper Wristbands, with Pathak continuing her studies at the University of Central Florida while working full time in the business.
In 2004, she graduated with a BSc degree in Marketing and immediately took over the reins of Price Chopper as president. Pathak went on to steer the company through unprecedented growth and diversification, while breaking barriers in a male dominated industry.
She has described her entrepreneurial approach as “creative, collaborative and determined”. Balancing ambition and empathy, she “prioritises the importance of taking risks and taking care of people”.
Headquartered in her hometown of Orlando, Pathak’s four businesses provide solutions and entertainment that connect more than 20,000 clients around the world, with over 20 million customers each year doing business with Price Chopper Wristbands, Price Chopper Medical, TapNGo™ and the new Brewlando Craft Brewery.
Pathak has revolutionised the wristband manufacturing industry through venturing into in-house software development.
A trailblazer, she has ensured that her company stays ahead of the game and evolves with modern-day trends.
She said that at a time when only a small percentage of women were driving the manufacturing sector, her ambition and passion to pioneer new advances has enabled the propulsion of her businesses to the forefront of innovation.
With only a tiny percentage of women at the helm of manufacturing companies in Central Florida, Pathak is breaking barriers and spearheading innovation as president of Price Chopper Wristbands, a 27-year industry leader that manufactures wristbands and identification products. Involved in the business since its inception, she has grown the company to over 100 employees that serve 20,000 corporations globally.
The company’s notable client roster ranges from Cedar Fair Entertainment and Universal Studios to almost all sporting teams and concert venues across the United States.
Pathak said she is “committed to continually evolving the company’s products” and ventured into the world of software development as a way for the company to “take advantage of tomorrow’s technology”.
By purchasing a UK-based software company in January of 2020, Pathak created the ability to produce a multitude of new capabilities that distinguish it from the competition.
With this development of the Tap N Go technology, Price Chopper is now the only wristband company in the world to own and develop an RFID software platform in-house, allowing clients one stop for a turnkey offering of a cashless software platform – and a seamless production process from start to finish).
Under her stewardship, Price Chopper Medical Inc also produces a wide variety of wristbands used in the medical industry. These are used largely for patient identification in hospitals and nursing facilities worldwide, with the company sells through a large network of distributors internationally.
In 2020 Pathak created the TapNGo™ technology start-up – a “touchless technology” company – as a sister company to Price Chopper.
It is a platform that modernises cash payment systems for mega events, ranging from music and food festivals to state fairs.
The business is growing exponentially as it allows events in all types of locations, even rural, with no internet or connectivity, to provide guests with chip wristbands that leverage the latest trends in seamless guest experiences, such as cashless payments, Gen-Z travel and data insights.
The “one-of-a-kind platform” controls admissions and access to the event, plus sales of all items including food and beverage, in a totally cashless environment with or without internet connectivity.
The Orlando-based company has seen rapid growth in four years, with technology implemented at more than 100 events across the US.
It has also processed over $40 million in customer transactions.
The technology is now used in 20 percent of all official state fairs in the US, with clients including over 50 state and county fairs across the country. For 2024, Pathak estimated an additional 50% increase in growth by year-end.
After successfully mastering a technology start-up company, Pathak then set her sights on a new challenge, in an industry where less than two per cent of owners are female – the “world of brewing”.
She created the Brewlando brewery with “the vision of creating a beer that evokes the spirit of the most famous vacation destination in the country”.
The 10,000-square-foot Microbrewery and Tap Room is just a stone’s throw from Orlando International Airport and is the largest brewery in Central Florida both in size and offerings.
Brewlando produces, in-house, an “impressive” 24 different seasonal and craft brews, whereas most breweries average eight to 16.
Brewlando beer is also well on its way to distribution success throughout the destination.
Currently, it can be enjoyed at 40 different distribution points including popular locations such as ICON Park, the 20-acre entertainment destination on International Drive, popular theme park food festivals at SeaWorld and Disney’s Epcot Center, as well as various local restaurants and bars as far as Sanford and Melbourne. A second location is set to open in August of 2024 at one of Orlando’s busiest and most popular destinations, Pathak said.
Brewlando will open its doors to its second location in August of this year inside of ICON Park, home to the Orlando Eye, on International Drive.
The 20-acre complex houses a diverse array of restaurants, bars and world-class attractions.
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