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It’s hard to think of a trip to McDonald’s as an act of small business solidarity.The fast food chain has more than 38,000 locations in more than 100 countries. because I have never met They’re the dynamic women responsible for providing McDonald’s with everything from burger buns to the syrups that flavor cult favorite menu items like Shamrock Shakes.
Bediaco is CEO of New Horizons Baking Company, which supplies McDonald’s with pastry essentials such as English muffins and hamburger buns. And Thorfree and Hughes, president and vice president of Baldwin-Richardson Foods, respectively, create the fast food giant’s nugget sauce, hot fudge, and countless fan-favorite flavors.
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The two companies have worked with McDonald’s for decades, serving as the invisible glue that enables the fast food giant to meet the quality expectations of its loyal customers around the world. It’s hard work, but I don’t think so when women talk about their work with calmness, humility, and passion about the impact it has on the world and their communities.
“People don’t realize that McDonald’s doesn’t manufacture anything, but this allows us to make an impact in the community,” Hughes says. So, when we see all the beverage syrups going down the line, it’s like we’re like, ‘Dan, we’re really supplying America with all these flavors! if you don’t know [we’re] Make it okay because it’s about our people. ”
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Sisters Bediaco and Baldwin Richardson didn’t know each other before hooking up at McDonald’s, but their rise to leadership roles has followed a similar path. She became the first female leader to run a company, bringing new vision, innovation and strength.
New Horizons Baking Company Founder and Chairman (and Father) Tilmon F. Brown [left] and CEO Trina Bediaco [right]photo credit: New Horizons Baking Company
Mr. Bediaco, who says that his father “made it” [her] work for 16 years before giving [her] “I was happy with my job, but I also knew that working with my father was important,” Bediaco recalls. I’ve put my family together and moved my three kids to rural Ohio, and I’m not sure they’re ready for me. ”
Bediaco spent more than a decade learning the intricacies of business before finally becoming CEO in 2017. [CEO]But she now admits how much she had to learn before taking over the top role.
When Bediaco joined the family business in 2003 as Director of Human Resources, the company had two facilities and 185 employees. Today, she oversees her four facilities and employs over 500 people. Bediako has focused on innovation to remain relevant while maintaining the high standards of products New Horizons produces. She believes it is important for companies to change, as well as the industry and the world around them, to remain profitable and maintain a positive and productive work environment.
“Our world is changing, our industry is changing, our economy is changing,” Bediaco says. “I always like to joke, ‘It’s not your dad’s McDonald’s anymore.'”
The foundation of the business was laid by his father, but by the time Bediaco took over as CEO, the world seemed different. She knew she had to do more to keep her company prosperous and her employees happy. The biggest difference Bediaco acknowledges is that unlike her father’s time, employees today want more than just a paycheck to stay happy and productive.
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“Benefits and salaries, okay, what else? Culture? How diverse are you? We just have different leaders,” Bediaco says. “I have a very diverse team with different skill sets, and everyone is solid in their own right.”
New Horizons sales grew to record highs under Bediako’s leadership. She attributes this to restructuring the company to emphasize positive employee experiences.
“We believe that we will be strong leaders who must be listened to first,” Bediaco says. “We need to be mindful of our employees’ needs and willing to make changes. We want to be the employer of choice and the manufacturer of choice.”
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The Tolefree and Hughes sisters also followed in their father’s footsteps in the family business and made smart changes a priority when they assumed leadership roles. Baldwin Richardson Foods, an establishment that produces everything from hot fudge to McDonald’s McNugget sauce, has not only expanded under the leadership of the sisters, but has also removed barriers to success and created opportunities for others. We have taken important steps to give
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“We are very grateful for this, but we also understand that this is an experience that not everyone grows from. I know, we have a duty not only to deliver excellence every day in the way we run our business, but to create those opportunities for others.It feeds our souls.”
Baldwin Richardson is committed to providing equal opportunities for the younger generation, working regularly with children and high school students, and offering two four-year full tuition each year to Babson College and Spelman College. We sponsor scholarships.
“Our real dream is to take the burden of school fees off the table so these kids can run their own business, own their own business, and take it over,” Hughes said. The goal, according to the sisters, is to make business opportunities more accessible to minorities.
“There is no shortage of women and black entrepreneurs with great ideas and the ability to make them happen, but I think the difference is that they are given fewer opportunities,” says Tolefree. “So that’s what we’re trying to change through our philanthropic work and the community work that we do. Opening doors is one of the myths about how we act, show up, and lead.” You can just throw the part away.”
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The women behind McDonald’s Essential Ingredients aren’t just delivering flavors and products customers love, they’re setting the standard for the next generation of female leaders in traditionally male-dominated industries such as manufacturing.
“Carla and I enjoy seeing ourselves reflected in our daughters who have spent years mimicking what we do on the phone.” I hope that we are building this next generation that doesn’t even think about it.”
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