John McCormick had never even baked a batch of cookies.
That didn’t stop the founder of Rowena’s from picking him to take over her 28-year-old bakery business – selling poundcakes, curds, jams and other gourmet goods all over the country. Rowena Fullinwider, who gave Rowena’s Inc. its public face as well as its name, sold it to McCormick in January for an undisclosed sum.
“She’s just done a really good job of creating a brand that people can trust and like,” McCormick said recently from his office at Rowena’s plant and retail shop on 22nd Street in Ghent.
“I didn’t have to invent good almond poundcake. I didn’t have to invent good lemon curd. What I could do is bring a good strategic plan to Rowena’s that would make the business more efficient, more profitable.”
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