Milling & Baking News - March 22, 2011 - 36

Baker of the Year 

Sam Blasi, top left, corporate director of human resources; John Wojcik, director retail sales; Les Messina, vice-president of operations; Mario Turano, marketing manager; Bill Carlson, vice-president of route sales; Giancarlo Turano II, national sales manager; Joe Turano, north region operations director; Anthony Turano, MIS director; Ken Cotuno, vice-president of sales and marketing; Rosina Turano, ofﬁce administrator. Lisa Turano, bottom left, vice-president of legal; Umberto (Tony) Turano, president; Renato Turano, chairman; Giancarlo Turano, executive vice-president, and Sandra Battersby, vice-president of ﬁnance.

a third of Turano’s total business. At the time, the company couldn’t envision squeezing enough capacity at Berwyn (though, with the luxury of time, another 60,000 square feet were added at the site in the years that followed). The customer, purchasing a frozen product, needed the additional capacity and needed it quickly. In 1992, the decision to build a

second facility was recognized at the time as “a big move,” Giancarlo said. “The plan was to install an automated line for the volume. Could we put up a building and a line within nine months? If we couldn’t, we would lose the business. “When we looked at the risks, we concluded that if something went wrong, we would be able to bring

all the Berwyn production into the new facility,” he continued. Beyond meeting the needs of the customer, the construction of a new plant — named the Knead Dough bakery — in Bolingbrook also allowed the company to significantly expand distribution beyond the Chicago market. “We had wanted to expand to

Variety of products, customers distinguishes Turano

he range of the markets it serves is one of the ways Turano Baking Co. is distinctive, members of the company’s sales and marketing team said. In addition to its fresh business delivered daily to supermarkets and restaurants in the Chicago area, the company has a national business in frozen par-baked and thaw-and-sell products. In an interview with Milling & Baking News, the team discussed Turano’s distribution channels, the impact of the economy on the company’s business and the importance of product innovation. The breadth of Turano’s activity was emphasized by Ken Cotuno, vicepresident of sales and marketing. “We compete with small bakeries as well as some national around deli area,” he said. “Our footprint has been national since 1994, and we are shipping frozen product from coast to coast. As a custom baker for chain restaurant operators, we are selling to 40 of the top 100 national chains anything from a single item to nearly all their bread. It has been phenomenal.” A key to differentiating Turano in the marketplace is the company’s approach toward its direct-store delivery driver salesmen, said William Carlson, vice-president of route sales. “Most companies treat their drivers as truck drivers,” Mr. Carlson said. “Ours are route salesmen. They manage the accounts. They set up displays. They are very sales focused. “Ken (Cotuno) spends a ton of time training them about sales as well

as safety related to lifting and driving. We feel strongly our route salesmen determine our destiny.” The company operates about 100 direct-store delivery routes in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets. John Wojcik, director of retail sales, noted that unlike most other baking companies, the driver salesmen are responsible not only for retail customers but also food service, including quick service. “They manage the product mix in each store,” he said. While Turano has a small presence in the bread aisle of supermarkets, its largest business is in the deli area, so-called knee knockers located immediately beside deli display cases. Giancarlo Turano II, national sales manager, said the company’s sequence into the food service market has been to move from casual dining, to ﬁne dining and then to quick-service restaurants. He said the ﬁrst two categories were “logical” since Turano has been a premium baker. “Then you see q.s.r. going after causal dining,” Giancarlo Turano II said. “A small increase in quality at these restaurants commands higher price points, better image and better food at the end of the day.” Billboards have been a principal vehicle for marketing, even to national customers. Mr. Cotuno noted Turano posts a billboard each summer at McCormick Place in anticipation of visitors for the National Restaurant Association annual meeting. The difﬁcult economy did not translate into serious problems for

36 / March 22, 2011 Milling & Baking News

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