Greater Louisville ink.

October 2005 Newsletter

Blendex Adapts to Consumers' Tastes

The Blendex Company, a producer of dry ingredients for the food industry and winner of the Chilton and Medley Inc.credible Award for businesses with 50 - 99 employees, has survived many changes in consumer tastes since its founding in the late 1970s.

The company originally provided fried chicken batter for dinners, but when fried food fell out of favor, the company's founders diversified to other ingredients. In more recent times, Blendex adapted to the low-carbohydrate lifestyle by branching out into other products.

Additionally, Blendex has responded to more scrutiny regarding the nation's food supply in a post 9-11 world. That includes adding cameras and fencing to the facility and ensuring that all its employees wear uniforms and carry proper identification.

The company took the extra step of earning Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification to ensure food safety.

"That's been an extra selling point," said Blendex CE0 Ron Pottinger. "If you are doing first-class blending, then you have to have all the credentials that go with it."

Even with all those changes, the company's niche continues to be in delivering top-qualify products, said Pottinger, who is the son of Blendex founder Eugene Pottinger. The company currently provides products to Texas Roadhouse, Mark's Feed Store, Wendy's and Bojangles' Chicken, plus a number of other well-known brand names.

"Like anything, you get what you pay for," Pottinger said. "Our products are a little more expensive but they're well worth it because of the quality we put in it. I sleep well at night knowing I don't have to worry about somebody getting a bad product."

Employees take a stake in Blendex because they literally have some ownership in the company, according to Pottinger.

"That's been one of the nicest things," he said. "Everybody has a little piece of action and it helps promote employee longevity."