Baking&Snack - October 2012 - 26

GONNELLA BAKING CO.

All in the family and more
Hot dog buns travel through the lanes of one of the slicing and bagging machines at Gonnella’s Aurora bakery.
Blane Sutton

To achieve this goal, Gonnella moved to centralized headquarters in Schaumburg, putting the management teams of the fresh and frozen businesses under one roof. “When communication is face-to-face instead of over the phone, the flow of ideas is better,” Mr. Lucchesi observed. The move consolidates purchasing, food safety, human resources, marketing and even the diverse sales and production departments. It allows the company to explore interdepartmental synergies and better coordinate daily operations. It also makes it easier for Gonnella’s board of directors — which includes Mr. Marcucci, Mr. Lucchesi and Mr. Mazukelli — to build a strategy for the future and ensure that it’s properly executed. “It puts our management team in one location, which enables us to make decisions more quickly and communicate more effectively for future product development,” Mr. Mazukelli explained.

From hearth to heartland
In many ways, Gonnella hasn’t changed over the years. “Our heritage is a family business,” Mr. Lucchesi said. “We believe in this company,

Gonnella Baking Co.’s history goes back to 1886, when Alessandro Gonnella began baking bread in a storefront in Chicago, IL. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Gonnella and his wife, Marianna Marcucci Gonnella, recruited their sons along with Mrs. Gonnella’s brothers to build the business. Today, the board of directors includes Nick Marcucci, president and grandson of Marianna’s brother Nicholas Marcucci; Ron Lucchesi, secretary and grandson of Marianna’s brother Lawrence Marcucci; and Thomas Mazukelli, treasurer and grandson of Alessandro Gonnella. Nick Marcucci sees the board’s responsibility as temporary stewards of the business. “We’re blessed with this opportunity, and it’s a gift given to us to nurture and take care of, he ” said. “Our job is to keep the legacy going. ” For decades, Gonnella Baking was a source of employment for family members, and it still is. In fact, today’s board members grew up working with their parents, uncles, cousins and a host of other relatives. “It might sound silly, but the fact that this is a family-owned-and-operated bakery means everyone is extremely vested in the success of the business, ” Mr. Mazukelli said. In recent years, however, the company has evolved. “It’s not our grandfathers’ company, Mr. Lucchesi observed. ” “They were a local bakery in the city of Chicago. Now, we’re a national company. You have to change. ” Over time, non-family members have played an increasing role in the day-to-day operation while many others non-family members spent their whole careers working for the bakery. At the same time, for some family members, the company represents more of an investment than a place of employment as the younger generations seek other career opportunities. For Nick Marcucci, the board’s leadership is vital during this current transition. “I would like to close the door when I retire and not be missed, he said. “Then I know I have done ” my job because I have prepared people for the future. ”

/ Baking & Snack / October 2012

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Baking&Snack - October 2012

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