The first promise at Sweetheart Ice Cream is to deliver real value to every customer, every day. Suhail Rifaie, chief executive officer of Sweetheart Ice Cream, built a business around that simple promise and turned a small family operation into a partner that helps stores, schools and venues run with confidence.
Rifaie’s path shifted when family needed him. He was studying to become a doctor when his father fell ill, so he joined the company and learned the work from the wheel wells up. The business then had a handful of trucks and sold only ice cream. He listened to drivers, met shop owners at dawn and mapped what clients actually needed to keep shelves full and lines moving. Growth followed through acquisitions and careful expansion. The company widened its catalog, strengthened routes and matured from a distributor into a service organization that solves problems, not just drops boxes.
Inside the company the future of work is a habit, not a slogan. Rifaie champions continuous learning, performance that is fair and transparent, and a culture where people take pride in doing the job right. Training blends customer care with technical skill so team members can handle equipment, inventory systems and field challenges without missing a beat. Managers coach for collaboration and speed because service windows are small and expectations are high. The standard is to be collaborative, technical and customer focused.
Energy spreads because Rifaie stays present. He rides routes, visits warehouses and shares what he learns so small improvements stack into big gains. Community events run smoother when vendors trust their partners, and he reminds teams that purpose sits behind every stop and every birthday party that needs popsicles on time. Rifaie believes enthusiasm should be taught, not told, and he tries to model it in ways people can pass along to their own crews.
The company’s identity keeps evolving. Sweetheart Ice Cream now acts as a solutions partner that pairs product with service, from last mile reliability to smart merchandising support. The vision for the next five years is disciplined growth, stronger technology in operations, tighter feedback loops with suppliers and service that feels personal no matter how many routes are run. The aim is to be known locally and nationally for reliability and care.
What makes Rifaie stand out is a blend of humility and accountability. He holds a high bar while treating people with respect, which builds a culture where expectations are clear and trust is real. Customers notice steady delivery and thoughtful support. Colleagues notice opportunities to grow and permission to lead.
A Titan 100 Honoree, Rifaie measures success by the value his team creates for partners and the pride employees take in their work. He is most proud of building a company that still feels like family while operating with the discipline of a modern enterprise, a place where learning never stops and every route ends with a customer who was served well.
