Episode 057 - Paula Marshall
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Paula Marshall has served as the Bama Companies CEO since 1984 and provides strategic leadership and direction to the entire organization. She embodies the Bama vision of ‘People Helping People Be Successful,’ and under her leadership, the company has grown to provide a wide variety of frozen desserts and baked goods to fast food chains and casual and family dining restaurants, including McDonald’s. Paula received her BSc in Business and her Ph.D. in Commercial Science from Oklahoma City University and is the author of four books on business and entrepreneurship.
Paula joins me today to share how her dad started the company with apple pies in the trunk of the car and the two God-inspired events that kicked off Bama’s expansion. She discusses how she came to head the company, why McDonald’s put her under a microscope when her dad named her CEO and the traumatic events that led to her being the only one of her siblings able to step up and take control of Bama. Paula also shares her vision for the Bama Foundation, how it helps and supports members of the Bama family, and it’s role in the wider community.
"If you’re a global product, you have to meet global standards.” - Paula Marshall
"What Bama had was passion, desire and we fixated on the product and the product quality, and we never took that out of our minds." - Paula Marshall
“Leaders have to have humility - when you make yourself humble, and you become a servant to the people that work for you, and you turn it around and learn from them that’s when real things start to happen.” - Paula Marshall
This week on The Wow Factor:
Paula’s experiences of growing up in Tulsa and her family’s history as the manufacturer of 98% of all McDonald’s pies
Why she shut down Bama’s retail business in 2002
How it felt going up against the good ole boy network, and how McDonald’s subsequently supported her as one of the first woman CEOs of their supply chain
Why Bama embeds their mission into their relationships and how that impacts the outlook of everyone in the company
Why they are so committed to B Corporation initiatives, and why Paula sees it as a heart and soul movement in the corporate world
The story of the exploding pumpkin pies and what Paula learned as a leader from the situation
The game-changing quality management system Paula brought in to Bama and what she learned from Dr. Demings’ philosophy
How impacts a corporation and why we should strive for an egoless corporation and focus on the importance of standing up for what’s right
Bama’s partnership with Taylor Hansen and why Food on the Move is working to mobilize good quality food into food deserts in Tulsa and Oklahoma
Paula Marshall’s Words of Wisdom:
Find your passion, don’t fight it! Write a personal mission statement and use it to help guide you in your decisions and find your balance in your professional and personal life.
Connect with Paula Marshall:
A Piece of the Pie by Paul Marshall, Sandy Miller, and Brian Miller
Sweet as Pie But Tough as Nails by Paula Marshall
Connect with The WOW Factor:
