UB MBAs "infiltrate" Perry's

By JOHN DELLA CONTRADA
Reporter Contributor

Business isn't always smooth in the ice cream industry. Over the past 20 years, nearly 1,200 companies have closed their doors, leaving just over 400 firms to compete for space in America's freezer.

To survive and grow in this competitive market, Perry's Ice Cream Co. of Akron, N.Y., boasts an evolving selection of nearly 100 different flavors—and a management roster of eight MBAs from the UB School of Management.

Leading the charges is company president and CEO, Robert Denning. Prior to assuming the helm of the 83-year-old family-owned business in 2000, Denning groomed himself for the position by completing UB's challenging Executive MBA (EMBA) program. Under Denning's leadership, Perry's has launched an aggressive plan to gain greater market share by developing new products, expanding its market reach and by "professionalizing" the company's management systems and processes.

"As a fourth-generation family firm in the later stages of its entrepreneurial origins, we're challenged to advance and upgrade our management systems and enhance our overall spirit of professionalism," says Denning, 36, who began his career at Perry's more than 20 years ago.

"My MBA has given me a fresh set of eyes to evaluate the company's place in the market and direct its future," Denning says. "Symbolically, it has helped us see ourselves as a professional enterprise."

According to Denning, five to 10 years ago an MBA degree was optional for senior-level managers at Perry's. Experience in the industry was valued more than management savvy.

That attitude has changed.

Today, five members of the company's nine-person executive team possess UB MBA degrees, including Denning's EMBA classmates Larry LaDuca, vice president of sales, and Scott Terhaar, director of finance.

Other UB MBAs on the executive team include Dave Merrell, vice president of human resources, and Kris Ryan, director of marketing. Rounding out the company's UB MBA roster are Laura Corser, brand manager; Jodi Wiechec, human resource generalist, and Kevin Thomson, manufacturing team leader, who was hired a month ago.