Discussion with Cordia Harrington

TBC is a highly-automated, high-speed baking company comprised of four plants with ten bakery lines. In total, the company produces more than eight million pieces per day, serving elite customers in the United States, South America and the Caribbean. Begun in 1997 as a supplier to the McDonald’s system, Ms. Harrington has used innovation and the newest technologies to grow the business from one customer to 1400, with revenue growth to greater than $100mm.

Prior to founding Tennessee Bun Company, Ms. Harrington was a McDonald’s owner/operator in Central Illinois, where she purchased one (and built two additional) award-winning restaurants. As a franchisee, Harrington was purchasing chair for the St. Louis McDonald’s region. Previously, Ms. Harrington founded and developed Concept One Realtors in Russellville, Arkansas, growing it to include Concept One Construction, a builder of homes and commercial office condominiums. Concept One Realtors was the recipient of national awards.

Harrington was recipient of the prestigious EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 award in the Southeast Program for the Manufacturing & Distribution category and Lifetime Achievement Award as Most Admired CEO 2016, as well as other National Awards.

Ms. Harrington attended Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan; she graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science degree. She currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband.

Interviewer

M. Eric Johnson Dean Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management

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