'Ma Baensch' owner improves lives, and sales
01.02.2008 02:01
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- Source: JS Online
In Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, Kim Wall is raising the profile of Ma Baensch herring, while providing meaningful work to one of the toughest segments of the labor force - ex-offenders. Wall, 49, is the no-nonsense president of Baensch Food Products Co., 1025 E. Locust St., the maker of Ma Baensch marinated herring. "Women can't be afraid to take risks," Wall said on a recent morning at her headquarters at Humboldt and Locust, where the scent of fish infuses the air. "I never had the belief that, as a woman, I couldn't do anything that a guy could do." For generations, Ma Baensch herring was a mainstay for holidays and deer hunting season. But under Wall, the product has broken out of those familiar niches, thanks to aggressive marketing. Wall promotes herring as a food that can be eaten anytime. And she has worked hard to lure young, urban consumers - particularly those with a taste for sushi. Her efforts are paying off as sales are up and Ma Baensch has recaptured lost markets in Madison and northern reaches of the state, including the Fox Valley, Green Bay and Eau Claire. Baensch Food Products, a division of privately held Wild Foods Inc., doesn't disclose sales or earnings. From jailhouse to jobsThe company was established 75 years ago when Lena "Ma" Baensch started selling herring in Milwaukee. "We were that herring that your grandmother had in a jar," Wall says. Wall swears by the quality of her herring, which comes in two varieties - cream and wine sauce. But she takes special pride in the workers who produce it. Baensch Food Products has 16 employees, most of them seasonal and many who have been incarcerated. Men who once stood behind bars now stand on the production line. Both sides benefit. Wall provides ex-felons with work, which helps them to get a foothold in the economy, and provides her with seasonal labor. Typically, these men have gotten by doing handy work or panhandling, which provides enough money to get by, but doesn't allow them to build a work history. "We are their first jobs. In exchange for us being able to have this seasonal work force, we work with them to teach them to show up on time, to follow work rules and just to be able to have skills they never had," Wall said. Civic and business leaders view Wall as a model for how employers can meet their work force needs while helping the community. "If we really want to change the economic dynamics in the inner city, we have to have some good models like this one that can be replicated by other employers," said Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. No pushoverAlthough some of the ex-felons hired by Wall don't last, with nurturing and guidance, others turn out to be reliable employees. "Some don't make it two weeks, but some do," said Wall. "It's hard because there's an attitude, and of course this is a woman-run business. These guys not only have to show up for work, but a woman is telling them what to do." But they've met their match. Wall has confronted chauvinism ever since she purchased Baensch Food Products in 1999, and she isn't one to back down. Thanks to education - she is a certified public accountant - and business savvy, Wall has earned the respect of workers and competitors. "I wouldn't want to be running this business if I wasn't an accountant first," she said. "The nuts and bolts of doing the numbers and knowing how to use a financial statement to run your business are the reason I'm able to do this." On the plant floor, however, it takes true mettle when dealing with ex-offenders. "I've had to get in the face of some of these guys and let them know that I'm not a pushover," she said. Most often, Wall gets respect from her employees. That's because men like Johnny Nash are grateful to have work after serving time in jail. Nash, 32, who has been employed at Baensch for nearly two years, served 12 years in prison for reckless use of a weapon. "I feel like this was just the blessing in disguise that I needed," said Nash who has two children and six stepchildren. "You've got something to look forward to every day that takes your mind away from the things that put you in those negative situations in the first place." Although crime occurs in the neighborhood - Wall says a man shot by a drug dealer collapsed and died on the street in front of her car one night - she is committed to staying put. "It just makes me think that if I'm here, maybe the drug dealer won't live down the street," said Wall. "I believed I needed to be present in the neighborhood. And part of that, I thought, was to employ people." Tannette Johnson-Elie writes about small and minority-owned businesses and diversity issues for the Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at (414) 223-5172 or by e-mail at telie@journalsentinel.com.
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