Glory Foods gets new chief

By Pamela Glason Thornton
City Editor
Columbus Post

Soul food that is convenient is the legacy of William "Bill" Williams. The founder of the Marble Gang Restaurant in the Focal Point on Mt. Vernon Avenue, Williams birthed Glory Foods' products from the restaurant's kitchen in 1989.
Trained in hotel and restaurant management, Williams was an advocate for educating persons interested in food preparation until his death in 2001. The restaurant is gone, but the legacy of getting fresh vegetables onto tables through Glory Foods continues. Initial research led Williams to the top seller, canned greens. Jacqueline Neal, the new president plans to increase customer research and to discover what makes people pick items off shelves. "Glory Foods was a very sales-driven company," said Neal. "We need to be more consumer-focused and look to consumer insight." Neal, who has a background in marketing at Fortune 100 companies, is a native of Washington, D.C. She is the third President in Glory's history, and the first female president. Neal succeeds G. Barry Huff, who stepped down in April of 2007.
Glory Foods is a staple of down-home cooking. Packaged food items – from okra, sweet potatoes, cornbread mix to beans and rice – provide convenience and cater to providing well-rounded meals for gatherings. Greens are the number one product sold by Glory Foods. Targets for marketing are women ages 35 and above as well as African-American women age 45 and over. The women tend to buy the products for their families the most. "Glory was founded on convenience," said Iris Cooper who actively wrote the company's original business plan. Cooper is a co-founder of Glory Foods.
More people than African Americans choose Glory Foods. The product line of canned and frozen vegetables are distributed in grocery store chains, nationally.
" We have a presence in the Mid-Atlantic, Southwest and California. My sister lives in Wyoming and she finds Glory Foods there," said Neal.
The shelf presence for Glory Foods' products is expanding outside of Columbus, its headquarters. A seasoned cooking base is the latest addition to the product line. "We're expanding into different aisles of the stores with the new cooking bases. They can be found with the dry soups," emphasized Neal.
" The new seasoning bases are for people who do not know how to cook. It is for adding the final touch to meal preparation. Gravy goes with potatoes, meat and sides," added Cooper.
Since relocating to Columbus from Washington, D.C. in September, Neal has cooked the entire line of products. "I have had everything that we make, "she admitted.
With eating healthy being a key focus in today's society, Glory Foods' representatives have encountered persons who expressed the desire to eat Glory Foods products, but have had to watch their sodium levels.
The 2006 introduction by Glory Foods of Sensibly Seasoned products with 50 percent lower sodium levels, allows consumers to include beans and greens in their diet. Neal anticipates advertising to increase for the Sensibly Seasoned line in coming months. "Sensibly Seasoned items are purchased most by Caucasian women age 55 and over. Everybody has heard about sodium and is trying to cut back," said Neal. "Word of mouth has been very powerful for Glory."
Also in 2006, Glory launched a second generation of heat-and-serve side dishes (Sensibly Seasoned) that have what the savory seasoning consumers expect while being lower in sodium, fat-free and meatless. Seasoned Cooking Bases, the newest products found with bouillon and broth products, are a convenient solution for adding extra flavor to soups, stews, casseroles, gravies, sauces, and side dishes and for marinating meats. The new line complements its current product offerings, which include seasoned, canned vegetables and side dishes, frozen savory entrees and side dishes, and fresh-cut, bagged vegetables.
" Seasoned Cooking Bases allow families to enjoy the home-cooked flavor of traditional Southern-style cooking more quickly and easily than ever before," said Theresa Potter, Director of Marketing for Glory Foods.
Glory Foods manufactures and distributes a comprehensive line of traditional Southern food products to grocery stores, nationwide. Founder "Bill" Williams and co-founders Cooper, Dan Charna and the late Garth Henley identified a need on supermarket shelves for Southern-style foods that appealed to cultural desires.
Continuing Williams' legacy, Glory Foods has actively pursued its interests in food preparation through scholarships to minorities at The Ohio State University and through several other initiatives and programs around the country.
" I am incredibly honored to join Glory Foods, a company with such strong heritage and tradition of quality," Neal told the Columbus Post. "I am a longtime fan of Glory Foods' products, and I am excited to play a part in helping Glory Foods continue to provide convenient mealtime solutions that promote family togetherness and health."
For more information about Glory Foods, its products and programs, go to www.GloryFoods.com”

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