BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Princeton University men’s water polo coach Jim Wagner, who coached the Tigers during the 1993 season, has achieved success in the business world since leaving the bench.
A 1993 graduate of the University of California with a B.A. in History, Wagner became the youngest coach in water polo when he was hired in April and took control of the Princeton program during July 1993. A sport with a nearly 100-year history at the institution, men’s water polo was not a varsity sport during Wagner’s tenure (records prior to 1995 do not exist from Princeton and Wagner was replaced by Paul Nelson following his single year at the helm) as the Tigers’ administration did not elevate the sport to varsity status until 1996.
Coming off the program’s inaugural appearance at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship in 1992 as the squad placed eighth following losses to Stanford University (18-5 L), the University of California-San Diego (14-9 L) and the United States Naval Academy (14-9 L), the Princeton administration sought someone who had experience at the highest collegiate levels to get the program to the next level.
“To have someone who has been to NCAAs five straight years and won four championships, that’s why I’m there,” Wagner stated in an interview with the Los Angeles Time in 1993 upon his hiring at Princeton.
The 1988 Southern Section and Times Player of the Year and 1990 All-American at Corona del Mar High School. Wagner had won at every level at which he has competed.
In three seasons at Corona del Mar, the Sea Kings won two Southern Section titles. In addition, Wagner was the goaltender during a record 41-game winning streak from 1985-86. Further, in five seasons at California — his last as an assistant coach — he was a part of four NCAA championship teams.
His trend of success has continued following his time in the water for California and on the deck for Princeton.
Currently a Private Equity Operational and Diligence Advisor based out of New Canaan, Conn., focused on acquisition due diligence, performance management and margin development among other areas, Wagner served as Chief Executive Offer for Roland Foods, LLC, a leading supplier of branded specialty foods and ingredients, in the New York City region from January 2014-June 2019.
Prior to joining Roland Foods, he served as a Private Equity Advisor from September 2012-to-December 2013 following a seven year term (March 2005-to-September 2012) as Chief Operating Officer at The Chefs’ Warehouse, the largest spcialty foodservice importer and distributor in the United States.
Before becoming COO of The Chefs’ Warehouse, he held a number of positions within the company, including chief commercial officer, director of Business Development, and vice president of the West Coast operations. Wagner led significant business optimization projects and sales performance initiatives, resulting in substantial margin and revenue enhancement and, ultimately, a successful initial public offering on NASDAQ.
Before joining The Chefs’ Warehouse, he worked as an independent consultant to a number of start-up companies, including the launch of TrueChocolate, a chocolate-processing company. He was also a principal at Jump Communications and a vice president at Clear!Blue Marketing with both providing business consulting services.
