Baking & Snack - February 2015 - 39

Q&A: MANAGEMENT
OPERATIONS
George Deese
Flowers Foods

For George Deese, "The Flowers Way" is always about trying to
do the right thing. It's about going beyond the call of duty, beyond
what's expected and asking, "How can I help?"
"At Flowers, we're in business to support others - not just
those who rely on our products but also those who rely on our
company to be successful - our shareholders, our team members and associates, and the communities in which we operate
our business," explained Mr. Deese, chairman of the Thomasville,
GA-based company.

It can be argued that Mr. Deese - whose career spans a half
century - has seen it all when it comes to the baking industry.
While that's not exactly true, it certainly accounts for his unique
perspective about how people, companies and events over the
years have influenced how the industry operates today.
In an interview with Baking & Snack, Mr. Deese shared his
thoughts on leadership, Flowers Foods, his career and his outlook
for the future. For more information on his Baking Hall of Fame
induction, see "The Flowers Way" on Page 28.

In Pursuit of Excellence
Success ultimately comes from constantly striving - and encouraging others - to be the best.
Dan Malovany: What does being inducted into the
Baking Hall of Fame mean to you, your family and
your colleagues at Flowers Foods?
George Deese: My family is very proud of my induction to the
Baking Hall of Fame. I, in turn, am grateful for their support and
appreciate the many sacrifices they have made throughout my career. While I thank the American Society of Baking for this honor,
I must accept it on behalf of the many men and women at Flowers
Foods with whom I have had the privilege to work. The culture
of teamwork, support and personal commitment that exists at
Flowers is special and has allowed the accomplishments and successes that have made my career with Flowers so enjoyable.

In your 50-year career, what are the biggest events
that have impacted the industry?

invest in new technology that would keep us efficient.
Another milestone for Flowers occurred in 1996 with the acquisition of Keebler Foods, whose products were outside our traditional bread and snack cake business. When we sold Keebler five
years later, we realized an excellent return on our investment for
our shareholders. We also gained a tremendous amount of operational knowledge, and, perhaps more importantly, it gave our
leadership at the time the confidence to consider other expansion
possibilities. So when I was named CEO in 2002, the direction and
growth strategy that we proposed in 2003 and have been pursuing
since was evolutionary, not revolutionary.

How would you assess the state of the baking industry today and going forward?

Reflecting on the many changes that I have seen over the course of
my career, they all have something in common: meeting the needs
of the marketplace. Certainly other factors - the tremendous
amount of bakery consolidation, especially in the last few years,
the increased process automation and the innovative introduction
of technology in production - have all made a difference, but
they are all in response to the ever-changing needs of the market.

I am very positive about the future of our industry. The challenges
and opportunities we face today are really not that different from
those of the past. It's all about understanding what consumers
want and then finding a way to meet those needs. That sounds
easy, but it's not. People have been consuming bread for thousands
of years - how do we keep it an important part of today's meals?
Additionally, how do we keep the products we make relevant to
today's consumers?

Likewise, what were the greatest milestones for
Flowers Foods? How did you participate in these?

Who has had the most influence on your career,
and why?

One of the most important milestones was when Flowers Baking
Co. made an initial public offering in 1968 and became Flowers
Industries. I was not directly involved in this, having only been
with the company four years, but this action set the course for
where Flowers Foods is today. Going public provided us with
the resources to grow through expansion and acquisition and to

I don't believe I could ever single out one individual as the most
influential. I have been inspired by the legacy and vision of both
W.H. and Langdon Flowers and have enjoyed working with so
many talented people over the years. The culture of teamwork
and spirit of cooperation at Flowers has allowed me to learn much
along the way.

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Baking & Snack - February 2015

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