--- title: "Brothers Building Forward: Joe ’16 and Jonathan ’24 Jarecki" description: Pine Crest alumni brothers Joe '16 and Jonathan '24 Jarecki turn their lifelong commitment to health into The Forward Bar. image: https://blog.pinecrest.edu/hubfs/Alumni/Newsletter/Sept%202025/Jarecki/Jono%20and%20Joseph%20Jarecki.jpeg --- [ pine crest school ](https://www.pinecrest.edu/) [#PCFutureReady](https://www.pinecrest.edu/media?SearchExpression=#PCFutureReady) Fort Lauderdale Campus 1501 NE 62nd Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334 [(954) 492-4100](tel:9544924100) Boca Raton Campus 2700 St. Andrews Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33434 [(561) 852-2800](tel:5618522800) - [inquire](https://www.pinecrest.edu/inquire) - [apply](https://www.pinecrest.edu/apply) - [visit](https://www.pinecrest.edu/visit) # Brothers Building Forward: Joe ’16 and Jonathan ’24 Jarecki Posted by [Pine Crest School](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/author/pine-crest-school) on September 27, 2025 at 10:01 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) All four of the Jarecki siblings, Natalie ’04, Nicole ’13, Joe ’16 and Jonathan ’24, or “Jono,” are lifers, having attended Pine Crest from pre-kindergarten through graduation. That foundation of community and learning has carried the brothers into very different but complementary fields, and now, into a shared entrepreneurial venture. ![Jono and Joseph Jarecki](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Alumni/Newsletter/Sept%202025/Jarecki/Jono%20and%20Joseph%20Jarecki.jpeg?width=979&height=1206&name=Jono%20and%20Joseph%20Jarecki.jpeg)*Joe ’16 and Jono ’24 Jarecki *   After graduating in 2016, Joe attended Babson College to pursue finance. His experience there led him into investment banking in Boston and New York before returning to Florida to join Polen Capital in Boca Raton. Six months ago, he took a leap into entrepreneurship, founding The Forward Company, a protein bar company created from his family’s lifelong commitment to health and wellness. “Growing up, our mom raised us vegan and our dad was a chiropractor. We were doing things people now call ‘biohacking’ before anyone was using the word,” Joe said. “We had an infrared sauna in the house, we focused on whole foods and wellness was always at the top of our priority list.”  “As I got older, I saw many protein bars and wellness products being marketed as healthy, but when you flipped over the label, they were filled with ingredients I would never eat. That gap is what pushed me to create The Forward Bar—something made with truly whole food ingredients that people can trust to be as clean as it claims.” For Joe, launching The Forward Bar goes hand in hand with Holistic Growth Ventures, the private investment firm he started to invest in and scale health and wellness brands. The Forward Bar became the firm’s first investment, blending Joe’s financial expertise with his passion for building healthier consumer products. > [  > >   > >   > > > > > >   > >   > > View this post on Instagram > > > >   > >   > >   > >   > > > >   > >   > > > >   > >   > >   > > > > > >   > >   > > > > ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DO8n0VqAHGY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [A post shared by @fuelyourforward](https://www.instagram.com/p/DO8n0VqAHGY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) Enter Jono. A sophomore at Davidson College on the pre-med track, he is studying biology and neuroscience while working part time for Ra Optics, a health tech company. His background in science and experience managing social media for wellness brands made him a natural fit to help build The Forward Bar. “Jono played a huge role in the decision to create The Forward Bar. He’s probably the healthiest person you’ll ever meet, and his standards for nutrition are incredibly high. With his science background and ability to explain exactly what happens in the body when you eat real food versus processed ingredients, he brings credibility and a science-first approach to the company. Together, we knew we could build a product that not only tastes good but also lives up to the health claims we grew up valuing,” said Joe. For Jono, Pine Crest played a big role in preparing him to balance his academic and entrepreneurial commitments. “Time management was key,” he said. “At Pine Crest, the workload and the support from teachers prepared me to juggle classes, research, and now my work with The Forward Bar. That foundation has made the transition to college seamless.” ![ForwardBar_Box_variety_00002 (1)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Alumni/Newsletter/Sept%202025/Jarecki/ForwardBar_Box_variety_00002%20(1).png?width=920&height=920&name=ForwardBar_Box_variety_00002%20(1).png) The brothers agree that beyond academics, the Pine Crest community continues to shape their journey. Joe points to lifelong friendships that now serve as a network of support for his business. “When I tell Pine Crest friends about The Forward Bar, they not only support me but also make introductions to their network - gym owners, grocery stores, and investors,” he said. Sometimes those connections directly impact the business. Early on, the team faced challenges with creating a complicated rendering for their product. As luck would have it, Joe’s classmate and friend Jake Nachlas ’16 reached out after seeing the project take shape. Jake’s company, Common Reality, specializes in rendering and branding. “When I needed help with the rendering, I turned to Jake,” Joe recalled. “He and his team delivered exactly what we needed. That kind of connection, through Pine Crest, is so important to highlight.” Looking ahead, both brothers are focused on scaling The Forward Bar and building it into a trusted brand for health-conscious consumers. New products may follow, but for now, their priority is clear: making The Forward Bar a household name. “We don’t want to create products just to launch something,” Joe explained. “Our goal is to create what doesn’t exist yet but should—products that are genuinely healthy while tasting great.” > [  > >   > >   > > > > > >   > >   > > View this post on Instagram > > > >   > >   > >   > >   > > > >   > >   > > > >   > >   > >   > > > > > >   > >   > > > > ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DOJF1YWjUnu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [A post shared by @fuelyourforward](https://www.instagram.com/p/DOJF1YWjUnu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) For Jono, the path forward is clear. “I want to stay in health and wellness long term,” he said. “This is what I’m passionate about, and I want to keep building it with Joe.” Joe’s vision for their partnership is equally clear. “If I succeed, I want him to succeed. We bring complementary skill sets that balance each other out. My goal is for Jono to never have to work for someone else, but instead build something meaningful with me.” From Pine Crest classrooms to college labs and entrepreneurial boardrooms, Joe and Jono are writing the next chapter of their family’s health and wellness journey, together.   Topics: [Alumni Newsletter](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/alumni-newsletter), [Alumni](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/alumni), [Entrepreneurship](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/entrepreneurship), [2025](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2025) ### Subscribe Here! ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Tag - [Alumni (93)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/alumni) - [Upper School (61)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/upper-school) - [Faculty (46)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/faculty) - [The Magazine (41)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/the-magazine) - [Student Life (36)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/student-life) - [Academics (33)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/academics) - [Innovation (33)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/innovation) - [2020 (30)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2020) - [2025 (30)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2025) - [Athletics (30)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/athletics) - [Middle School (30)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/middle-school) - [Giving (29)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/giving) - [Pine Crest School (28)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/pine-crest-school) - [2024 (24)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2024) - [Alumni Newsletter (24)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/alumni-newsletter) - [Fine Arts (24)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/fine-arts) - [Student Leadership (20)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/student-leadership) - [Lower School (18)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/lower-school) - [Entrepreneurship (17)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/entrepreneurship) - [Science (17)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/science) - [2019 (15)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2019) - [2023 (13)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2023) - [Admission (13)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/admission) - [COVID-19 (13)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/covid-19) - [2021 (12)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2021) - [2022 (12)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2022) - [2026 (11)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2026) - [Design Thinking (11)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/design-thinking) - [2018 (10)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/2018) - [STEM (9)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/stem) - [Social and Emotional Learning (9)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/social-and-emotional-learning) - [Pre-kindergarten (8)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/pre-kindergarten) - [Pine Crest Fund (7)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/pine-crest-fund) - [Future Ready (6)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/future-ready) - [Innovation Institute (6)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/innovation-institute) - [Panther Impact Week (5)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/panther-impact-week) - [Pine Crest Summer (5)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/pine-crest-summer) - [Robotics (5)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/robotics) - [Computer Science (4)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/computer-science) - [News (4)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/news) - [Panther Pulse (4)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/panther-pulse) - [Student Success (3)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/student-success) - [Dance (2)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/dance) - [Financial Aid (2)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/financial-aid) - [Fine Motor Skills (2)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/fine-motor-skills) - [Freshmen (2)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/freshmen) - [Music (2)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/music) - [outdoor learning (2)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/outdoor-learning) - [Campus Safety (1)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/campus-safety) - [Community Service (1)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/community-service) - [Digital Media Production (1)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/digital-media-production) - [emergent leadership (1)](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/tag/emergent-leadership) [See all](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/brothers-building-forward-joe-16-and-jonathan-24-jarecki#) ## Start Your Future Today Imagine the possibilities @PineCrestSch - - - - - - - [my pine crest](https://pinecrest.myschoolapp.com/app#login) Lower School Grades PK - 5 Middle School Grades 6 - 8 Upper School Grades 9 - 12 Fort Lauderdale Campus 1501 NE 62nd Street Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334 [(954) 492-4100](tel:9544924100) Boca Raton Campus 2700 St. Andrews Boulevard Boca Raton, Florida 33434 [(561) 852-2800](tel:5618522800) Imagine the possibilities @PineCrestSch - - - - - - - [Back to top ](https://blog.pinecrest.edu/brothers-building-forward-joe-16-and-jonathan-24-jarecki#top)