Alexander Pollak

MBA Program: Baruch College, Zicklin School of Business

Class: 2008

Current Location: New York City, NY

Current Company and Title: ParaDocs Worldwide, Inc.

At ParaDocs, we are uniquely prepared to lend our medical support to local, national, or global incidents. Our staff is trained to work in extremely busy and demanding environments while managing multiple patients. They are experienced in the specific challenges that present themselves when establishing medical operations in remote or non-traditional locations. Our mission has always been to provide medical support to large-scale events, and we have now transitioned that focus to one of the largest events our planet has ever faced. We stand ready to bring our sizable staff and renowned professionalism to assist our clients in reopening and meeting new safety requirements due to COVID-19.

Why did you choose to earn your MBA at this business school? I was a paramedic on a 911 ambulance, and I worked the 7 pm to 7 am shift. On the weekends, I picked up extra shifts. Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business is located in Midtown New York City and it was very convenient to commute there and the flexibility of the program enabled me to work while attending school. Zicklin has a great reputation in Finance and I was hoping to work in the Finance industry and make lots of money.

Pretend you are an ambassador giving a tour at your business school. Name one place you would show a candidate and why was it so important to you? I liked the top floor of 55 Lexington Avenue, the Newman Vertical Campus building. There is a study area for graduate students only. There was plenty of natural light and it seemed almost exclusive.

What was your favorite class and what lesson do you use from it in your role?  Marketing. There was one class, in particular, where I learned some valuable lessons regarding brand recognition. While my company is medical, we’re also in the service industry. One of my goals as a company is to make the word (really our logo) ParaDocs synonymous with emergency medical services.

What was your best memory during your MBA program? I’m going to say graduating. I worked three paramedic jobs during grad school and it was pretty rough working so many hours while simultaneously attending school. Still, I was able to do it in the end. The MBA prepared me for the job at a hedge fund firm that I was offered upon graduation but that firm dissolved before I even started, due to the 2008-2009 recession.

What is one thing about the MBA program that you wish you had known when you applied? Honestly, it was the group projects. I wasn’t always readily available outside of class schedules because of my jobs and it created some conflict, especially on team projects.

What has been your biggest professional achievement? There were a lot of proud, “I made it!”  moments. I think my biggest one was making the Crain’s New York “40 Under 40” list, but I’ve built a company that I love and it constantly comes with these amazing milestones. Pre-COVID, we provided onsite paramedics for television shows, fashion weeks, movie sets, and magazine shoots.  I successfully pivoted my company during the pandemic so that 95% of our business is COVID testing. We have built up our reputation so that we had the opportunity to test the participants in the Presidential inauguration and we are expanding worldwide.

What advice would you give to a prospective student to help them earn a spot in your business school? If you’re working and attending school, be sure you manage your time properly. Also, work hard and never stop working at it. As an entrepreneur, I constantly get asked if business school helped; it did. There were many things I wasn’t great at (especially my chosen major, which was finance) but I powered through the classes and asked the faculty for help when I needed it.

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