Bottoms up
Brainstorming for new ideas at Tootsie Roll doesn’t always start at the top; the process often flows from the bottom up. Gordon says the company cross-trains its employees in various areas to encourage creativity, and she has an open-door policy in which any employee may request an appointment to speak with her.
“We try to get the ideas of the people who work for us to come out because we know they have the key,” Gordon says. “As the employees begin to get in touch with you, their confidence increases and our confidence in them does, and then their performance increases.”
Despite reports of a recent labor dispute and threatened strike by one of the company’s unions — the union in February ratified a new four-year pact –Gordon says employees tend to stay at Tootsie Roll for their entire careers.
“I like that because it gives us a chance to know everybody and their families, and I like having that feeling that it’s a good company, a profitable company,” she says. “I want people to be happy. They spend a lot of time at work and you take them away from their families by making them come to work, so I want it to be a good place. But it’s not always perfect. Some days it’s not so easy.”
Melvin Gordon describes his wife as a persistent leader with an uncanny ability to multi-task.
“Ellen has a sharp, keen mind and the ability to see into the future,” he says. “She comes in with a list arm’s length long and gets everything done in a day. She won’t take no for an answer.”
HOW TO REACH: Tootsie Roll Industries, (773) 838-3400 or www.tootsie.com
