Baking & Snack - February 2023 - 50

" WE KNEW WE HAD TO DO IT, BUT FIRST YOU HAD TO
HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT, THE BUSINESS TO DO IT, THE
SPACE TO PUT IT IN AND THE GUTS TO DO IT. "
Lou Rotella Jr., Rotella's Italian Bakery
" And every time we've automated, we haven't laid people
off, " Lou Rotella III said. " We've been able to repurpose
those employees to jobs that focus more on quality. "
As the company has grown, however, Lou Rotella Jr.
noted that quality does get harder to control because of
the expansion of the team. The bakery has grown from
less than a dozen employees when it was in its first generation
to more than 500 today.
" They have to care as much as the family does, so they
have to feel like a part of the business and the family, " he
said. " They can't feel like an outsider because an outsider
won't care. "
Not only does the company pay its employees competitive
wages and offer competitive benefits packages compared
to the Omaha labor market, but it also disseminates
a family culture by honoring and calling out hard work.
As Lou Rotella Jr. and his sons walk the production room
floor, they take time to talk to all the employees regardless
of job function to make them feel welcome.
" It's just like in sports, " Lou Rotella Jr. explained. " If
a team doesn't play together, they aren't going to win.
It's as simple as that. If people are fighting on the field
or on the production line, they can't win. We have to
work together. "
It's a mantra the Rotellas have lived by example.
Packaged sliced bread
waits in the distribution
area to be picked
up by one of Rotella's
route drivers.
Inheriting a dream
Family-owned and still going strong 100 years later is
rare after decades of consolidation in the baking industry.
The Rotellas understand they've gotten lucky with
each generation's dedication to carry on the business.
" Some restaurants we do business with, it's over by
the second generation because they don't have the same
fervor and determination that their parents did, " Jim
Rotella said. " Each generation has wanted to continue
this business. That's been a big factor. "
When Lou Rotella Sr. bought out his brother Ameado,
Jim Rotella recalled his Uncle Ameado saying had either
of his sons been interested in continuing in the bakery,
he would have stayed on as part owner. But without a
Lou Rotella Jr. to pass things onto, he did not see a need
to keep striving at the bakery. The value of a capable next
generation is not lost on Jim Rotella, Lou Rotella Jr. or
Mr. Jacobsen Sr.
" My kids are now holding up the business with Rocky
and Dean's kids, " Lou Rotella Jr. said. " They're a part
of this now, and we've been lucky enough to have even
those in the family who no longer work here anymore
because they cared a lot. It's a combination of all of us all
these years striving the best we could to keep this place
going and grow. "
Each generation has had the opportunity to decide
whether they wanted to continue in the family business. All
three members of the third generation refused to pressure
their children to join the business unless they wanted to.
" I just wanted them to do something that made them
happy because if they weren't happy, they wouldn't do a
good job, " Lou Rotella Jr. said. " But I got lucky that two
of my kids wanted to, and they're good at it. "
Each family member who decides they want to join
Rotella's Italian Bakery has to first want it and then prove
their capability, Lou Rotella Jr. explained. Each of the
nine family members who are actively working at the
bakery have roles that suit their strengths.
" There are so many aspects to the business now that
you don't have to be a baker to work here anymore, " John
Rotella pointed out. " There are so many more things to
do here, and that's what is so neat about it: sales, distribution,
marketing. There's a role here for them. "
And it's a family mentality. Mr. Jacobsen Sr., Jim Rotella
and Lou Rotella Jr. claim they've never argued in 50 years.
While they may disagree, they are always respectful and
have each other's back once a decision is made.
" Everyone in the bakery works together in our fields
the same way the kids are now working together, " Lou
Rotella Jr. said. " And every single one is trustworthy that
they're doing those jobs.
" I'm so glad that this award went to my dad instead
of just me, because it's not just me, it's we. It's all of us
together. "
50 Baking & Snack February 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
*
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - February 2023
