Paul Merage is the Founder and Chairman of the Merage Institute. Paul has over 35 years of experience in consumer products. Following 10 years of management experience with major packaged food companies, Paul founded ChefAmerica, a start up frozen food company in 1975 along with his brother David. In time ChefAmerica became one of the largest and most profitable privately held food companies in the US. It is best known for Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets. ChefAmerica operated nationally with a workforce of over 2000. ChefAmerica was sold to Nestle in 2002 for $2.6 billion.

He is now actively engaged in providing vision and strategic direction for the MIG CAPITAL and its affiliate companies. MIG CAPITAL and its affiliates were a natural progression of the need for a platform to carefully and professionally manage, preserve and enhance the family capital.

Paul is also highly focused on a mission to “give back to America.” Paul and his family created The Merage Institute. The Institute’s programs are all aimed at improving quality of life through education. Each has gained positive national and indeed, International attention. He is active with the University of California Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Dean’s advisory board. In addition Paul and the Merage family support a number of other philanthropic efforts. Paul received a B.S. in Economics and a MBA from the University of California.