The Specialist Growing a manufacturing company in a niche bakery market? The Killer Brownie Co.’s Chimene Ross was born for this. BY J OAN I E S PEN C ER
Love. Creativity. Tenacity. Joy. These aren’t words one might immediately associate with manufacturing. Then again, with core values like these, The Killer Brownie Co. isn’t a typical manufacturer, thanks to Chimene Ross, president and chief customer officer (CCO). Under Ross’ leadership, this Miamisburg, OH-based bakery, which specializes strictly in brownie production, did more than just experience growth in a pandemic. Inside of a decade, the bakery has outgrown two manufacturing facilities … and in just two of those 10 years, it has experienced triple-digit growth. The secret? This leader is never alone. “No one ever does everything alone,” Ross said. “That’s impossible. It’s never ‘me.’ We use the terms ‘we’ and ‘us,’ no matter what we’re doing because it’s never just one person. And when you take care of the people who are taking care of your business, it shows in the product.”
Photo courtesy of The Killer Brownie Co.
But this is about more than just corporate values. This is how Ross was raised. Before The Killer Brownie Co. was a commercial bakery, “Killer Brownie” was the name of a product made in-house and sold in Dayton, OH-based Dorothy Lane Markets, a regional upscale grocer owned by the Mayne family (Ross’ namesake), now in its fourth generation
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