It was during Doug Carolan's high school years that he was first exposed to the food industry by working at the local grocery store, Schrody's Market. After high school, Doug attended Western Michigan University at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Food Marketing in 1964, he accepted a job with the National Tea Company. Doug worked his way up to Chief Operating Officer of this company where he manages a $3 billion-dollar business.