| Quantum Foods: The Message |
| Distribution | |
| Written by Mike Sharkey | |
| Monday, 31 December 2007 | |
 How Edward Bleka fulfilled his American dream and created one of the fastest growing beef companies in the nation.  Edward Bleka On his knees before the bullet-riddled statue, Bleka asked for guidance—a sign that would help him make his career decision. On his way home from work that very night, his path was made clear. Bleka heard a radio newscaster describe a Chicago meatpacker that was up for sale. Two weeks later, he was negotiating a lease agreement with the company—an organization he would eventually buy and transform into Quantum Foods. Bleka laughs when he tells the story and says simply, “I got the message.” And what a message it was. Today, Quantum Foods is a 1,500 employee, $600 million company that stands as the largest US provider of portion-controlled beef to the casual dining segment. An immigrant’s tale Hard work. It’s a characteristic many believe has become a thing of the past, but thanks to the company’s founder, it’s something that’s alive and well at Quantum Foods. Born in Poland, Bleka immigrated to Chicago with his family in 1970. Just entering the first grade, he watched as his teenaged brothers and sisters all found after-school jobs and did their part to help the family get by in America. “What really stands out is the work ethic my family instilled in me at a very young age,” Bleka said. “Everyone had to fend for themselves. My brothers, sisters, and I—if there was something we wanted, we had to work hard to get it. And we did.” Bleka began living his family’s hard-work mantra when he was just 12 years old. In the wee hours before school and on weekends, he worked at his brother-in-law’s startup sausage business (a garage operation that has since flourished into a multi-location deli). There he was introduced to the food industry—an introduction that would eventually lead him to Chicago’s fabled Stockyards. Fresh out of high school in 1980, Bleka began his career on the cutting room floor at Rymer Meats. His experience and work ethic put him on the fast track, and by 1990, he had a career decision to make and an icon to visit. Right place, right time Timing may not be everything, but it sure helped when Bleka was launching Quantum Foods in the early 1990s. It was the era of casual dining, and franchises like Olive Garden, Applebee’s, and Chili’s were just beginning to plant roots—precisely the types of businesses Quantum Foods catered to. At first, the company saw only the crumbs from the casual dining table—no one wanted to give the new kid on the block a big contract. But Bleka recognized these small jobs as opportunities. If a particular promotion went well for a restaurant chain client and it needed a couple hundred extra pounds of steak in a pinch, Quantum Foods was there. Before long, all the major players in the casual dining segment had Bleka’s personal cell phone number, which he encouraged them to call at any time. And call they did, primarily because Bleka’s legendary work ethic became instilled in his employees, ensuring Quantum Foods’ order fulfillment rate was as close to perfect as humanly possible. “People ask what our fulfillment rate is,” he said. “It’s a strange question to me. If a customer makes an order, you do whatever it takes to fulfill it, no excuses.” It’s that unwavering focus on the customer that enabled Bleka to see the specific needs of the casual dining segment weren’t being met, particularly when it came to packaging. He recognized that chain restaurant clients would greatly benefit if portion-controlled steaks were individually cryovaced—a major change from traditional sleeve packaging. Bleka made the necessary changes within the company, offered the new packaging, and Quantum Foods’ already surging business shifted into a higher gear. So much so that by 1995, the company had to find a new home just to keep up with demand. New facilities, new services Where there once stood a cornfield in Bolingbrook, Ill. now stands a testament to Quantum Foods quick climb to the top. In 1996, the company moved from an outdated, cramped building in Chicago’s Stockyard into a new, state-of-the-art 220,000-square-foot production facility. “Coming from our old facility, we had to work around the walls that were there,” Bleka said, both literally and metaphorically. “In the new facility, we didn’t have those walls.” From the ground up, Quantum Foods’ new home was built with efficiency in mind. The latest in high-speed cutting, weighing, and packaging equipment was installed, enabling the organization to lower costs and boost productivity. As a result, the company was able to offer its growing customer base more competitive prices. Along with increased production capabilities and lower prices, Quantum Foods began offering its customers new value-added services. Since the company’s inception, Bleka always made research and development a staple of Quantum Foods. The new facility allowed the company to expand those R&D capabilities beyond simply creating marinations and flavor profiles to creating complete menu items—protein, sides, presentation and all. And Quantum Foods didn’t stop there. The company can analyze a new client’s protein contracts to determine if it’s buying product at the most advantageous times, potentially saving the client millions. It can help customers increase business with a wide array of new menu items, offering clients up to 10 presentations that fit within specific themes and cost structures. When a new menu item is selected, Quantum Foods can handle all of the production, from cutting to cooking to packaging, meeting each client’s unique specifications. “We do all of the homework for our customers and show them where they can become stronger on their menus every quarter,” Bleka said. “We’re not just a commodity provider, we’re a true partner to our customers.” Don’t take Bleka’s word for it. In 2006 Darden Restaurants, the world’s largest casual dining company with 1,100 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, and Smokey Bones restaurants, recognized Quantum Foods with its William B. Darden Distinguished Vendor Award. Familiar guide Bleka has come a long, long way since making sausage in his brother-in-law’s garage. But even with Quantum Foods generating annual revenues in excess of $600 million, he’s convinced the company’s unprecedented growth is just beginning. Although the company was built to serve casual dining restaurants, Bleka said it could tailor its existing products and services for retail clients, opening up a massive market for Quantum Foods. “But you need the people that have expertise in those channels,” he noted. “That’s why we’ve brought in people that have been there and done that.” George Chivari, former CEO at Coleman Natural Foods, Rick Garcia, former president of TransPecos Foods, and David Prill, former CFO at Agri-Best, are among the most notable executives brought on board to fulfill an ambitious vision: to push Quantum Foods over $1 billion in revenue. It’s a new path for the company to venture down, and Bleka was sure to bring along a familiar guide. You can find her in the name of the holding company that will manage Quantum Foods’ new subsidiaries: Rosa Mystica. |
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© 2008 American Executive - RedCoat Publishing. All rights reserved.
American Executive is a RedCoat Publishing publication.
American Executive is a RedCoat Publishing publication.
