Donna Merzigian

Direct: 919.825.3463
Fax: 919.876.5737
Cell: 919.609.0339

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Donna Merzigian, (pronounced mer-ZIGGY’- an) 
I grew up in a very traditional family. My parents were my biggest role models – hard working and sensible. Growing up, I realized that I was very athletic and ended up playing tennis, basketball, and softball at Coventry High School in the little state of Rhode Island. I didn’t travel far for college because I ended up receiving a basketball scholarship at Bryant University in the little state of Rhode Island just 25 minutes away from my home where my parents still live.

Bryant University is where I met my husband Jake…you know, the President of Zig Zibit. He was exactly the same as he is today. We met in biology class, sophomore year. Life would never be the same for me. He became my biggest fan while playing basketball at Bryant and we studied together for many classes. When I met Jake, it wasn’t his biology knowledge that attracted me…oh lord no. Just ask my roommate, who was in the class too. It was his entrepreneurial and business sense that I found so endearing. I knew that someday he would start his own business. I graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree.

I had a couple of entry-level jobs in the corporate America world. Jake and I got married in 1993 in Worcester Massachusetts at the Armenian Church of Our Saviour. We had our first child after a year of marriage and had three kids total within four years of each other. So I became the stay-at-home mom, being very busy with three little kids and I loved it. I can show you videos if you would like.

When Jake walked in the door at 11am one sunny winter workday while I was having a play date with my friend Betsy’s kids and told me that he quit his job and was going to start his own company, I really was not surprised. I knew that day would come. He went upstairs to the bonus room for about 45 minutes and came back down and said, “What do you think about the name Zig Zibit?” He tells that me he remembers that I didn’t like the name, but either way, Zig Zibit it is and I love it. In his previous job he traveled to Raleigh and I remember he would come home and tell me that I would love Raleigh. It didn’t matter much though because we are really strong family people who wouldn’t choose to move away from family and church. However, after a year of being entrepreneurial we decided to look into moving the business, so Raleigh is where we looked first. Our families were not very happy, and neither were we at first, but we did it to grow Zig Zibit. So here we are, living in Raleigh, NC, both working hard and growing Zig Zibit as well as watching our children grow. I couldn’t have written this story 20 years ago, but it is a happy story and I love it all!