| At the early age of 16, Joe Slawek dedicated his life to the flavor industry. His career began with a high school summer job with a Chicago flavor company and quickly grew into a highly successful career in flavor sales. Through his 21 years of experience with an independent flavor company, Joe developed extensive knowledge of the business and a keen awareness that the industry was shifting. Over time, this awareness grew into a desire to take a risk that few would dare to take—to break out from the comfort and security of a successful corporate career and venture into the unknown world of entrepreneurship.
The mid-1980s was a time of consolidation among major flavor houses. This left many companies without a flavor supplier that would service their needs. Joe sincerely believed that there was a better way to service customers, employees and stakeholders and used these beliefs to create Flavors of North America in 1987.
From humble beginnings in a Northfield, IL office space, Joe began his journey of creating one of the largest independent flavor companies in North America. By 1994, FONA's rapid growth required it to move into a space that provided more manufacturing space and a greater infrastructure. Joe found that space in Carol Stream, IL.
With the opening of the Carol Stream facility, FONA was able to realize the ability to be an open, collaborative partner for our customers. FONA began its Flavor Heaven program, encouraging customers to work within FONA's walls with a Flavor Chemist to solve their development challenge within a day's time.
In 1996, FONA launched the renowned Flavor 101® course – a course that has since educated over 4000 people on the use of flavors in food product development. This class was created through FONA's commitment to creating a sharing environment with customers and the industry, believing that the more people know about what we do and how we do it, the better equipped they are to work with us and reduce development timelines. The success of this program has driven FONA to expand the program into a full Flavor University® with the addition of Savory Flavor 201®in 2004. More classes are in development and will be added throughout 2005 and 2006.
As the company continued its tremendous growth in the U.S. market, Joe began his quest to extend FONA's unique business model into international markets. In 2000, FONA acquired Superior Ingredients in Canada, which allowed FONA to truly represent the market reflected in the company name. FONA recognized that the Canadian market has unique needs and is best served by a strong local presence, and through that belief, FONA Canada was created.
FONA's international expansion continued in 2002 with the creation of Flavors Select de FONA, a joint venture based in Guadalajara, Mexico, to service the Mexican marketplace and act as a springboard for further expansion into Central and South America. Continuing its international growth, FONA UK was established in 2003 to support the European marketplace. Today, FONA is setting its sights on the rapidly growing Asian market as the next step in its international expansion. FONA is committed to serving its customers wherever they may be while maintaining its strong values and dedication to superior service.
During this time of international expansion, FONA continued it's double-digit, record growth and once again found itself outgrowing its current home. In 2002, FONA's success allowed Joe to truly realize his vision for the company by designing a worldwide headquarters that reflects the principles on which the business was built and is run.
FONA acquired a 23-acre site in Geneva, IL, on which to build its campus. The state-of-the-art headquarters was built from the ground up to be a physical representation of FONA's values. The structure was designed by nationally renowned architect, Karl Heitman, who also designed the corporate facilities for companies such as Sony, Nestle, and North American Paper Company. In April 2005, FONA moved into its new home.
The first of three planned buildings on the campus, the structure encompasses 82,000 square feet of space. FONA's dedication to an open and sharing environment can be seen through the design of the Research & Development laboratory. It is centrally located within the building and is completely surrounded in glass. There are dedicated customer laboratories to promote FONA's collaborative approach to product development. The facility also features a 325-person auditorium in which FONA will host and further expand its Flavor University® programs. In addition, FONA will continue its commitment to the industry and community by offering the auditorium to industry organizations as well as local community groups.
As we move into this exciting next phase of our company's life, we will continue our record setting growth and unwavering commitment to serving our customers, employees and stakeholders. We invite you to visit us and learn how to become a part of the FONA family. |
