IBIE - 2022 Special Edition & Show Preview - 33

LEGACY BAKERS
Survival of the fittest
Sometimes it takes an unwavering hand for family
bakeries to persevere through the best and worst
of times.
In 1920 during the Spanish flu, German immigrant
Herman Seekamp purchased a little
Chicago bakery called Clyde's Delicious Donuts.
Fast forward to two years ago, when the Addison,
Ill.-based company and one of the nation's leading
donut producers celebrated its centennial, this
time in the middle of another pandemic.
Now Kim Bickford, CEO and third-generation
owner, took his turn to guide the bakery through
another rough patch in the company's storied history.
He thought of his grandfather, who guided
the bakery through the Great Depression by
maintaining an optimistic attitude and a cautious
approach to the business. That's a proven formula
that's worked so well over the years.
" When the pandemic hit, one of the important
things that I said to the organization was, 'This
company has been through a lot in the past 100
years, and we're going to get through this as well.'
That's a steady message that I tried to share with
our team, " noted Mr. Bickford, who's been with the
company for 44 years.
" I'm not patting myself on the back, but that's
the thing you have to do when you're in a position
of a family business where you care about the people
who helped make you successful, and you have
to reassure them that you're going to be successful
going forward, " he added. " We're conservative in
our business, and we take care of our customers
and our employees. Those are the things that help
a family-owned business survive. "
Maintaining a sense of history and addressing
new challenges allow family-owned bakeries like
Clyde's Delicious Donuts to focus on tomorrow,
noted Josh Bickford, executive vice president,
strategic initiatives and fourth generation family
member.
" Even though we're a family business, what's
best for the business comes first, " he explained.
" Having a lot of mutual respect in the family has
made that conversation easier at any given point.
We have never been afraid to pivot or change with
industry trends. "
Breaking the rules
For some companies, however, long-term survival
relies more on managing the family than operating
the business.
" There is an expression that I heard a long time
ago that the first generation starts the business,
the second generation grows the business and the
third generation either sells the business or blows
it, " Kim Bickford said. " I've been here long enough.
I guess we haven't blown it. "
Too many legacy businesses, however, get stuck
in the past.
" You've heard of the 100-year rule that says, 'We
have always done it that way.' We try to get away
from that type of thinking, " Josh Bickford said.
" We have to have new ideas. "
This mindset is one of the many reasons why
some family bakeries succeed, and others do not,
especially when faced with one of those many
watershed moments in a company's history. For
Clyde's, the latest turning point came just a few
years ago, when the donut producer pivoted from
Clyde's Delicious
Donuts relies on
putting people
first and a
conservative
business model
to withstand the
test of time.
" EVEN THOUGH
WE'RE A FAMILY
BUSINESS,
WHAT'S BEST
FOR THE
BUSINESS
COMES FIRST. "
Josh Bickford, Clyde's
Delicious Donuts
INSIDE IBIE | 33
Clyde's Delicioius Donuts
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