Alissa Leinonen, Gourmondo

Secrets of the Middle Market

Gourmondo, which caters events and provides gourmet boxed lunches, looked to be headed into a record-setting year when the pandemic struck. Overnight, the company lost 80% of its revenues. Gourmondo CEO Alissa Leinonen had to think fast if she was going to save her company. What she did next is surprising, as it is ingenious. She turned Gourmondo, for now, into a nonprofit, partnering with area companies, food banks and other service organizations to serve those in need. In this episode, I talk with Leinonen about the past ten months, how she kept her company alive and how to stay steady in a crisis.