Jeno Paulucci

Luigino "Jeno" Francesco Paulucci (July 5, 1918 – November 24, 2011)[1] was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. Paulucci started over 70 companies; among the most well-known ventures included his frozen food company, Bellisio Foods, and food products such as Pizza Rolls and the Chun King line of Chinese food. He was also involved in charity work, publishing and public speaking.

Contact sheet of photographs showing Jeno Paulucci seated with President Gerald Ford

Early life

A self-described "peddler from the Iron Range", Paulucci was born in the mining town Aurora, Minnesota. Paulucci's parents, Ettore and Michelina, had recently moved from Bellisio Solfare, hamlet of Pergola (Marche) Italy and his father was a miner in one of the region's iron mines. He began his long career in the grocery industry while working for his family's small grocery store during the Great Depression. On February 8, 1947, Paulucci married Lois Mae Trepanier. They had three children together.[2]

Career

During the 1940s, Paulucci developed the Chun King line of canned Chinese food products. In the book "The Very, Very Rich, and how they got that way"[3] Paulucci was quoted as stating his motivation that, while he loved Chinese food, he found it too bland and thought it would benefit from a little Italian spicing. After making a batch and canning it, he took some samples to a supermarket executive to convince him to try it out, and to persuade him to stock it. On opening the can, Paulucci found, to his horror, that the top of the can's contents included a whole, cooked grasshopper. Fortunately, the can had been opened in such a way that the lid was facing the executive, so that only Paulucci could see the contents. Thinking quickly, Paulucci told the executive, "This looks so good, I'm going to taste it myself". He then took one of two spoons that were lying on the table, reached into the can, quickly dug out a heaping spoonful (which included the grasshopper) and ate it. (According to Paulucci, "It didn't taste bad." Roasted or deep-fried grasshoppers are a popular street snack in Mexico City.) He then offered the can to the executive, who sampled a separate spoonful, liked it, and placed a large order.

By 1962, Chun King was bringing in $30 million in annual revenue and accounted for half of all U.S. sales of prepared Chinese food. Chun King was sold to R. J. Reynolds tobacco company, in 1966 for $63 million. In 1985, Paulucci sold his Jeno's Pizza Rolls brand to Pillsbury.[4] He later regretted selling the pizza rolls, saying, "I should’ve kept the pizza roll. It's something that’ll damn near live forever." [5] In the early 1990s, Paulucci returned to northeast Minnesota to launch Luigino's, Inc., a frozen food company specializing in Italian food such as pasta marketed under the Michelina's brand named after Paulucci's mother.[6] Paulucci was a game show contestant on CBS's What's My Line in 1963.[7] He was also featured on the television show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Robin Leach.[8]

Paulucci started Paulucci Publications in 1979 with the launch of his magazine for Italian Americans, Attenzione. In January 1981, The New York Times reported that Paulucci's magazine "had survived 19 issues in an area where others could not make it to six."[9] Leda Sanford, the magazine's editor-in-chief and publisher, said "patience and a lot of money" was required to make the magazine succeed.[9] Paulucci sold Attenzione to Adam Publications in January 1982.[10] Sanford reported that Paulucci had put $6 million into the publication.[10]

Describing himself as an "incurable entrepreneur," Paulucci advocated several innovative strategies for building small businesses.[11] From the 1940s to the 1960s, his Chun King company attempted to "cut out the middle man" and "take advantage of waste." Paulucci preferred not to use personal money for his businesses and instead relied on public financing provided in exchange for job creation.[4] Paulucci was also credited with building one of the first national brands of frozen pizzas and taking advantage of the growing acceptance of frozen food as a meal.[12] Paulucci told a reporter, "Wherever there's a microwave, I believe we should have our product."[5] Unlike many business owners, Paulucci was ardently pro-union and believed that the US's minimum wage should be increased.[5]

In the 1980s, Paulucci planned and developed the master-planned community Heathrow, Florida.[13] Since the 1980s, Paulucci owned numerous land holdings in Seminole County, Florida, and was an active philanthropist in the community.[13]

Charity and philanthropy

Paulucci was involved with numerous charitable causes. He was a prominent advocate for Italian-American issues. He founded the National Italian American Foundation in the 1970s and served as a presidential emissary to Italy.[4] The Paulucci Space Theater, a planetarium in Hibbing, Minnesota, is named in honor of Paulucci.

Controversy

In 1982, Paulucci moved 1200 jobs from the Jeno's Pizza plant in Duluth, Minnesota, to Jackson, Ohio. Ohio had offered Paulucci publicly financed low-interest loans. Many accused Paulucci of violating his professed commitment to northeast Minnesota during a time of economic hardships. In response to these criticisms, Paulucci told Minnesota Public Radio, "I'm a businessman, I'm not going to say oh gee, I'm a nice guy."[14] Paulucci and his daughter began a legal battle in 2006 over guardianship of his daughter's substantial trust fund.[15]

After his death, a significant legal battle erupted over his $100m estate.

Notes
  1. Obituary Archived 2012-07-30 at Archive.today, Duluth News Tribune
  2. Amundson, Kalo. "Meet Jeno Archived 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine", michelinas.com, 24 May 2007.
  3. Gunther, Max. "The Very, Very Rich, and how they got that way". Harriman House, 2010. ISBN 978-1906659998.
  4. Finkelstein, Matt. "The Master Chef," Inc.com, November 2007.
  5. "At 88, Frozen Food King Still Has Plans Cooking," msnbc.com, December 27, 2006.
  6. Ann Meyer, "Jeno's Back in Business", Prepared Foods, January 1991.
  7. Company for $135 whats-my-line/episode-651/episode/97654/trivia.html What's My Line] at tv.com
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2009-10-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Dougherty, Philip H. "Advertising; Attenzione Magazine Expanding", The New York Times, 29 January 1981.
  10. Dougherty, Philip H. "Advertising; Adam Publications Buys Attenzione", The New York Times, 5 January 1982.
  11. Meyer, Ann. "Jeno's Back in Business," Prepared Foods, January 1991.
  12. "20th Century Great American Business Leaders: Jeno F. Paulucci Archived 2008-02-28 at the Wayback Machine", Harvard Business School
  13. Obituary, Orlando Sentinel
  14. Zdechlich, Mark. "The Economic War Among the States: The Pizza King and the Perils of Bidding" (transcript), Minnesota Public Radio, April 9, 1996.
  15. St. Anthony, Neal. "Family feud opens new front in local court Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 30 January 2006.
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