This month, the Rutgers Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program is spotlighting Patrick Riolo, MBS’19, an alum who had a unique journey through graduate school. Riolo pursued a concentration in Food Science and has worked at Allen Flavors for fifteen years.
Riolo began his academic journey right here at Rutgers University. He was admitted to Cook College, now known as the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, to study Food Science. Knowing that he wanted to pursue higher education in the subject, he enrolled in the Food Science Graduate Program for a Master of Science. He completed the required courses but learned about the PSM program through conversations with his colleagues before writing his thesis.
As he began to manage more employees and started to handle a team at Allen Flavors, Riolo knew he would need more than a strictly scientific background. Riolo transferred to the PSM program in 2017, applied credits from his MS toward the MBS, and graduated in 2019. This coincided with his promotion to Manager of Product Development, his current position.
“I've learned that everyone has their own path,” said Riolo. “Everyone has their journey, and mine was slightly longer than most. But hey, I got through it.”
The value of the MBS degree
The most valuable aspect of the MBS degree, said Riolo, is that it makes him think big-picture. The combination of science and business education that first drew Riolo to the program is an asset at Allen Flavors, a company that offers an array of specialized services, including full beverage development.
“We’re not just selling the flavor,” said Riolo. “We’re providing as much as we can to the customer.”
This business sense is essential when making decisions for the company, said Riolo.
“I’ve now had my developers think, we’re not just food scientists –we're business developers. We are making decisions that aren’t just on a scientific basis, and we need to be more aware of that.”
The MBS degree has also inspired Riolo to examine problems from a new mindset and continue to learn.
“It’s encouraged me to have some creative thought moments and to read further about how to improve as an individual and to get my team where I need to.”
Riolo strives to read 10-12 books per year on various topics, including emotional intelligence, project management, new ways of thought, and how successful people operate within the industry.
Biggest professional achievement
After fifteen years at Allen Flavors, Riolo has had many spectacular professional achievements. However, his proudest moment involved supporting a team member.
He recognized the talent of a team member and successfully promoted her, creating a new product development team for her to manage.
"That, to me, is probably my greatest accomplishment—finding ways to keep top talent and employees engaged and get them to where they want to succeed,” said Riolo.
The two of them worked to make her a leader within the company.
“I enjoy [people development]. You can’t put a value on it.”
MBS in the real world
While Riolo was a student, he immediately found that his MBS courses and experiences apply to his job.
In Professor Kathleen Cashman’s Principles of Leadership and Communication course, students interview professionals in their field. Riolo’s own leadership interview with a team member at Campbell Soup gave him ideas to implement at Allen Flavors. He installed a mentorship program, connecting senior-level product developers with new hires to train. He also created shadowing opportunities for employees to learn skills.
“Being on that side of the student has helped me navigate my way through Allen,” said Riolo, “where I can stay here, keep growing, and find new opportunities to grow in the company.”
This wasn’t the only course that helped Riolo in the workplace. Within a month of finishing Principles of Finance and Accounting with Professor Horowitz, Riolo was given a task at work where he applied concepts learned in class.
“I reached out to [Professor Horowitz] and asked, ‘Am I doing this right?’ And he said, ‘Yes, you’re doing exactly what you need to do.’”
Marketing Assessment and Analysis, taught by Professor Mark Burgess, also gave Riolo a new perspective at Allen Flavors.
“The class made me look at brands differently, recognizing how they’re approaching consumers and who the demographics will be, and what they’re trying to accomplish as a company. It made us understand how we develop differently when choosing product flavors.”
Giving back to the program
As an alum, Riolo is still involved in the MBS program. He is part of the alumni-student mentoring program, attends alumni-student mixers, and spoke about leadership in Professor Cashman’s class. Now, students often seek Riolo out for their leadership interviews.
However, his involvement doesn’t end there. Riolo also volunteered at the MBS new student orientation in January 2023. He was directly inspired by Professor Cashman and her outlook.
“In your life,” said Riolo, “when people do favors for you, pay it back in full. That’s my way of doing this with the MBS community—it's brought so much joy to me, my life, and how I’ve developed. Whenever Abbe or Professor Cashman reach out to me, it’s a ‘yes.’”
At orientation, Riolo connected with new students and recognized their stories and the issues they faced from his experience in the PSM program.
“I saw a lot of myself in there when I went through it, and I just wanted to show them what you get out of it.” He continued, “I heard everyone’s story. And whether or not they’re in food science, where they want to be, it resonated. I felt many similar issues coming into it, of thoughts of ‘Where am I going to go next? And what do I have to do?’”
For Riolo, the appeal of MBS is the community it builds and the dedication of faculty and staff.
“When I first learned about [MBS], they said, ‘We’re here for you. Once you graduate, we don’t go away. We’re family.’ That struck a nerve with me. They’re all in on this program because it’s still fairly new. To be a part of something groundbreaking like that and support STEM is important to me.”
Advice for current students
“Go into this program open-minded,” said Riolo.
Riolo also advised students to consider all options MBS has to offer.
“When you hear ‘business,’ you don’t realize there are so many avenues you can do down,” said Riolo. “Be open-minded to the program.”
Riolo shared his experience completing a certificate in Digital Supply Chain management—just before the supply chain was dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Explore all the possibilities this program has. It offers many things, like project management classes to receive a PMI certification.”
Riolo also encouraged students to take advantage of one of MBS’ most valuable assets: our professors.
"Speak with your professors. They’re there for you. It’s a relief that you can email them, and they can advise you on your goals. It’s incredible how they focus on helping students succeed academically and professionally."
Ultimately, the MBS is a community, and students can connect and share their experiences.
“Here, everyone’s in the same boat; we’re all professionals. We’re in an industry and encounter the same day-to-day problems.”
Of course, the MBS has had a lasting impact on Riolo’s life and career.
“Now, when I see alumni at these mixers from my classes, it’s like we’re family. It’s nice to see that.”
If you enjoy reading as much as Riolo, he provided book recommendations that delve into leadership, success, and emotional intelligence:
- Emotional Agility by Susan David (“A must,” said Riolo.)
- Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown
- Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
- How Successful People Think and How Successful People Win by John Maxwell
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Principles by Ray Dalio
If you want to read about other MBS alumni, check out our blog posts highlighting Courtney Harris, MBS’21 (Personal Care Science), and Diana Fu, MBS’22 (User Experience Design).