Sweetening the workplace

THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN
The founder of Cheryl & amp;Co. turned a family cookie recipe into a multimillion-dollar corporation.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Given a choice, Cheryl Krueger-Horn would rather spend her money rewarding the employees she has than searching for and training a steady stream of new workers.
The founder and president of Cheryl & amp;Co. Gourmet Foods & amp; Gifts in Columbus, Krueger-Horn says that employee-friendly philosophy has helped the company to grow into a multimillion-dollar corporation and one of the fastest-growing businesses in Ohio.
Krueger-Horn was the keynote speaker Wednesday at an Entrepreneurship Week luncheon sponsored by the Nathan H. & amp; Frances T. Monus Entrepreneurship Center at Youngstown State University.
She told an audience of business owners, entrepreneurs and YSU representatives that three of her top business priorities are encouraging employees, enhancing the company's reputation and serving customers.
"These are things that don't show up on the company's balance sheet," she said, "but in my opinion, they're the things that make the difference between a good company and a great company."
Background: Krueger-Horn graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1974 and worked in several retail-management positions until 1984, when she opened Cheryl's Cookies, a one-store company featuring cookie recipes passed on from her grandmother.
In 1988, the company name was changed to Cheryl & amp;Co. to reflect its diverse selection of gourmet baked goods and specialty items. The corporation has grown to include retail, catalog, Internet, corporate and food-service divisions, with companies including Kodak, Disney, Banc One, Gap, British Airways and Ruby Tuesday on its client list.
Krueger-Horn was named Working Woman magazine's 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year, and the business has been listed for three consecutive years among the Fast Fifty, a list of the top 50 fastest-growing privately held companies in central Ohio.
Strategies: The entrepreneur said she keeps her 300 employees loyal, happy and productive by offering a recognition program that includes an expense-paid cruise, an awards banquet and stock in the privately-held company. About 100 employees have become stockholders through the program.
The gourmet-food maker honors workers who have 10 years' seniority by naming a room after them, offers a generous employee discount on merchandise, and plans work schedules to fit employees' needs. There are contests, employee picnics and quarterly update meetings on the state of the company.
"It's working. Our employee turnover is less than five percent," she said. "I can either spend money on advertising for new employees and training, or I can spend money catching people doing things right and rewarding them for it."
Ronna Lichtenberg, an author, lecturer and president of Clear Peak Communications, a sales and marketing firm, also made presentations this week as part of the center's first Entrepreneurship Week. YSU officials and center directors Dr. James Kohut and Dr. William Vendemia plan to make the event annual.