Anthony Pigliacampo (MechEngr'02)
2026 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award recipient
Anthony Pigliacampo is a mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, and business leader with a broad range of industry expertise spanning product design, consumer brands, food service, and advanced manufacturing. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, where early student projects helped spark his lifelong passion for turning ideas into real-world products and businesses.
Pigliacampo began his career as a product designer at IDEO, a globally recognized design and innovation consultancy, where he contributed to product development programs for leading global brands. In 2005, he founded Venture Design Works, a product development studio focused on the outdoor retail and cycling markets. The company was sold in 2008, and its products continue to be sold internationally.
In 2009, motivated by a desire to make healthy dining more convenient, delicious, and affordable, Pigliacampo co-founded Modern Market Eatery, a fast-casual restaurant concept built around scratch-made food. The company expanded to a multi-state footprint, operating more than 30 locations across four states. In 2018, Modern Market Eatery was acquired by Butterfly Partners and became the foundation for Modern Restaurant Concepts, a national platform for scaling better-for-you restaurant brands. Pigliacampo served as CEO through 2021. The platform has since grown to more than 800 restaurants nationwide, generating over $1.3 billion in annual systemwide sales.
Pigliacampo is currently the CEO of Joseph Machine Company, an original equipment manufacturer of highly automated CNC machinery based in Pennsylvania. The company designs and builds advanced manufacturing systems used by leading companies, including Andersen Windows, Tesla, and Cornerstone Brands and is considered a leader in American design and manufactured machine tools.
While his career has spanned many industries, a consistent thread has been his passion for turning ideas into reality. He remains closely connected to the University of Colorado Boulder, where he regularly engages with alumni and students and has spent years guest lecturing in the Advanced Product Design courses.
He lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Natalie, and their two children, Ava and Joseph, and continues to pursue innovation at the intersection of engineering, business, and design.