Title: Owner and President
Company: A Slice Above the Rest dba Square One Foods
Location: Siren, Wisconsin, United States
Dan Milota, Owner and President at A Slice Above the Rest dba Square One Foods, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Business Owners for dedication, achievements and leadership in the Food Production Industry.
Mr. Milota’s professional journey spans more than three decades, marked by a steadfast commitment to the food industry and a record of transformative leadership. Since 2023, he has served as the owner and president of A Slice Above the Rest, doing business as Square One Foods in Siren, Wisconsin. The company, which specializes in the sale of high-quality frozen foods, such as pizza, lasagna and pasta, can be found in local stores and has bulk rates available for special events.
Becoming the third owner in the company’s 40-year history, Mr. Milota acquired his business after negotiating a significant reduction from an initial $650,000 offer due to the exclusion of the building from the sale. Despite incurring a $70,000 loss during his first six months at the helm, he demonstrated resilience and strategic acumen by driving sales up by more than 1,000% within two years. Under Mr. Milota’s direction, Square One Foods expanded its product line with over 25 new items and two dozen pasta lasagna dishes, as well as international offerings, such as rice dishes and sous vide chicken.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mr. Milota was an area manager for Performance Foodservice, one of the largest foodservice distributors in the nation, headquartered in Virginia, from 2020 to 2023. Between 2017 and 2020, he contributed as a marketing associate at Sysco Corporation.
Mr. Milota’s career also included experience outside the food sector. From 2016 to 2017, he worked as an RSC business expert at AT&T, where he honed his skills in business solutions and client relations. His earlier tenure in sports nutrition was particularly distinguished, having held the position of vice president of sales at Momentum Sports Group and EST Nutrition between 2014 and 2015. Moreover, Mr. Milota excelled as the director of sales at Applied Nutriceuticals, a globally recognized sports nutrition brand, from 2009 to 2014.
Following high school, Mr. Milota’s background includes coursework in business management at Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1997. He also holds certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid. In addition to his schooling, Mr. Milota has maintained active involvement in industry organizations, such as the Minnesota Grocers Association.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Mr. Milota is dedicated to civic engagement and community service. He served as a volunteer firefighter with Duxbury Fire and Rescue in Duxbury, Markville and Cloverton, Minnesota, and with Fire and Rescue units in Siren, Webster and Danbury, Wisconsin, for several years. Mr. Milota has also volunteered for fundraising activities supporting local schools in Siren and Webster, as well as initiatives led by the Siren Chamber of Commerce, where he was once a member, and local police associations.
Mr. Milota’s achievements as a business owner have been recognized through numerous awards, including Best Pizza from the Burnett County Sentinel in 2024. That same year, his company received the Best of Award in the pizza category, a historic milestone as the first frozen food manufacturer to win this accolade. Others have included Best Manufacturer and Best Breakfast. Previous accolades Mr. Milota received included recognition from Sysco Corporation as a back-to-back-to-back Prospector of the Quarter for his outstanding performance in sales and customer acquisition, and a Perseverance to Achieve Award from Performance Foodservice.
Inspired to pursue the food industry, Mr. Milota first worked at a restaurant at age 15, where he learned authentic Italian cuisine under the tutelage of three Sicilian chefs who generously shared their knowledge with him. This formative experience ignited his lifelong passion for Italian food.
Mr. Milota remains passionate about sharing high-quality products at reasonable prices with consumers across the U.S. while supporting grocery stores, gas stations, local bars, taverns and restaurants that carry his products so they may also prosper. Looking ahead, he envisions expanding Square One Foods’ reach nationally and anticipates requiring a manufacturing facility twice its current size of 16,000 square feet due to increased demand.
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