Sworn to Secrecy…

Family-Owned Blendex Mum on

Who Buys Its Products

Ron Pottinger, the second-generation CEO of a family-owned food manufacturer in

Louisville, is a happy-go-lucky leader with a quick wit and keen sense of humor.

Just don’t ask him if you can tell anyone about his customer base. He may get a bit upset.

KAM member Blendex, the company he now owns that his dad, Eugene Pottinger, founded

in 1981, makes 200 “top-secret” dry-blend food products for leading national brands that

must meet stringent recipe requirements without fail.

“All you can say is that we manufacture for leading restaurant chains and food brands,”

Pottinger told KAM. There is one exception of the secrecy rule. The Blendex website

(www.blendex.com) proudly reports that Texas Roadhouse Restaurants has twice nominated

the company for its “Legendary Service Award.” But Pottinger won’t say exactly what Blendex

makes for Texas Roadhouse.

Blendex makes batters, breadings, marinades, glazes, mixes, seasonings, beverage mixes

and any other food product that must be custom blended to exact specifications.

Scarcity of Skilled Workers

Impacts Blendex Production     

A former winner of KAM’s Manufacturer of the Year award, Blendex is increasingly

challenged to find qualified workers to fill open skill positions, says Pottinger.

“We have a great group of employees here,” Pottinger said. “But if I lose one of my

skilled people, we have a hard time replacing them.” During a

tour of his plant, Pottinger said one production line isn’t running

because he can’t find skilled people to operate it. “Because

our quality standards are so high, I can’t take a chance on

running a line with substandard people.”

A sign on Pottinger’s office wall reads, “You Can’t Cost-Cut

Your Way to Prosperity.” But Pottinger says recent food cost

increases due to higher oil prices have created a “perfect storm” of

new challenges. “Over the past 10 years we have had 12 price

increases on wheat….but we’ve had 10 of those in the past six

months.”

Despite the current economic challenges, Pottinger is optimistic

about the future because Blendex “makes the best for the best,” he

said. “In this business, you get what you pay for…who wants to

risk their brand and reputation by using someone not as good as

us?”

For more information about Blendex, go to www.blendex.com