Michael Kiolbassa is a native San Antonian and began his career in the family sausage business in 1987 after a two-year period working in the commercial banking industry as a credit analyst. Since then, he has overseen the transformation of the family meat company from a small family business to one of the fastest growing meat brands in the US with national distribution of their sausage, chorizo and dry-cured bacon. He was named one of San Antonio’s “40 under 40” rising business stars, the 2004 Small Businessperson of the Year by the Small Business Administration and a 2016 and 2020 finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. Michael has given numerous presentations on the power of Values-Based Leadership on the culture in his family’s company and the adoption of the Great Game of Business which is an operating system to teach employees financial literacy so that they can make better decisions. His company was recently the focus of a case study on successful transitions in family business by Stetson University’s Family Business Enterprise Center and has been named a Top Workplace in San Antonio for the past six years.
Michael holds a BBA in finance from Southern Methodist University and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, United Way of San Antonio Board of Directors, Valero Alamobowl Board of Directors and Christ Episcopal Church.