The Friedman School is honored to welcome co-owner and CEO of City Fresh Foods, Sheldon Lloyd as our speaker at the 41st Commencement Ceremony on May 21st, 2023.
City Fresh Foods is Boston’s leading black and employee-owned food service company serving the Commonwealth’s elder, school and pre-school communities with culturally appropriate, nutrient-dense menus. Sheldon brings more than twenty years of experience in leadership, sales, finance, and mission-driven business practices to the ground-breaking work of City Fresh Foods.
Sheldon, with his brother Glynn, have grown City Fresh Foods, a Minority Business Enterprise, from a startup company into a $21.5 million employee-owned company. As the leader of the only for profit, minority owned food service company in the Boston area, Sheldon leads a team of over 185 people, of which 84% reside in surrounding neighborhoods, and of those employees 97% are people of color. Under Sheldon’s guidance, City Fresh Foods has become a trailblazer in sustainable and socially responsible food service, providing high-quality and nutritious meals for students, seniors, and other vulnerable people in the region. City Fresh Food employees make and deliver over 20,000 healthy, fresh, and culturally relevant meals per day.
Prior to starting City Fresh Foods, Sheldon worked at Eastman Kodak in sales for seven years in Rochester, New York where his groundbreaking two-pronged business strategy involved marketing and led directly to a skyrocket in sales. While in New York City, Sheldon organized and promoted special events for young minority business professionals in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Sheldon also co-founded Ginger Kids, a socially responsible gourmet cookie company distributed through major department stores across the country, which donated a portion of its proceeds to the Starlight Foundation. Prior to starting his professional career, Sheldon obtained a BS in Business Administration from Boston University where he played Division 1 tennis.
Sheldon is married, has two teenage children, and resides in the South End. He enjoys all sports, riding his bike around Boston, being out on the water and in the mountains, whenever possible.