Lewis J. Minor: The man, the legend

Lewis Mino: The The Leg by John B. Knight and Ronald F. Cichy ON DECEMBER 12, 1951, Lewis J. Minor stated the business aims for the L.J. Minor Corporation when he said, "The tenets upon which I shall build my business will be honesty, integrity, accuracy, kindness, punctuality, courtesy, friendliness, helpfulhess, and cleanliness." He went on to say, "I will endeavor always to be fair and helpful, not only to employees, my m a n a g e m e n t team, and stockholders, but also to customers, government agencies, and competitors." © 1994, Cornell University

L.J. Minor: "'1 will endeavor always to be fair and helpful..."

Anyone who has met and known Lewis J. Minor knows t h a t those words sum up his philosophy of life and have been the basis for his success, not only as an individual, but as an entrepreneur, an educator, a mentor, an author, a philanthropist, and a patriarch.

In the Beginning Lewis Joseph Minor was born in Harbor Beach, Michigan, on October 24, 1914. After graduat-

ing from high school, he went to work for the Donahue Varnish Company, where he took charge of the manufacture of lacquer solvents and helped paint and varnish research chemists develop new and improved products. In September 1933 Minor enrolled at the University of Detroit to study engineering, but several months later he returned to the Donahue Varnish Company to oversee the construction and installation of a thousand-gallon

John B. Knight, Ed.D., CFBE, is director of the hotel~restaurant~ tourism management program at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. R o n a l d F. Cichy, Ph.D., CHA, CFBE, CHE is director of and professor at the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management at Michigan State University. 90

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distillation unit t h a t was used for various industrial processes, including reclaiming spent solvents used to clean centrifuges, pebble mills, stone mills, and other equipment used in paint manufacture. With an initial u n d e r s t a n d i n g of solid business practices and an interest in chemistry, Minor enrolled at Highland Park Junior College in 1935, graduating with honors in 1937 and continuing t h a t same year to study chemistry at Michigan State College, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in J u n e 1939 and where he was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society. During the summers of 1937, 1938, and 1939 Minor worked for the Ford Motor Company. Later t h a t same year, the Michigan State Board of Agriculture appointed Minor a graduate assistant in chemistry at Michigan State College. He completed one term of work toward a Master of Science degree and left Michigan State College in J a n u a r y 1940 to become technical director of LaChoy Food Products Company, in Detroit. During his two years at LaChoy, Minor improved the company's bean-sprouting process and doubled the yield of sprouts per pound of beans planted, while shortening sprouting time from five days to three days. He also developed a soy-sauce-manufacturing process for LaChoy, developed a seasoning called Magic Touch and a beverage called Vegamato Juice Cocktail, and found domestic sources of m u n g beans and water chestnuts. He established quality controls for all LaChoy's Chinese-food products. When he had completed t h a t task, he took a position with the research group in the can FEBRUARY 1994

division at Owens-Illinois in Toledo, Ohio. He spent between two and three years at Owens-Illinois, working for Olin Ball, research director for the can division. Minor's job was to evaluate the performance of electrolytic tinplate and enamel-coated containers developed to replace hot-dipped tinplate. At the same time, he worked part-time evenings at McKay-Davis Company to develop bouillon powder for the U.S. Army. After receiving a Master of Science degree in analytical chemistry from Wayne State University in 1944, Minor joined McKayDavis full-time, where his bouillon product became the forerunner of the soup and gravy bases Minor later developed to replace bouillon powder. Minor was appointed a vice president of McKay-Davis in 1946 and introduced a line of seasonings and other products for food manufacturers' use. In March 1947 Minor left McKay-Davis and joined Huron Milling Company in Harbor Beach, Michigan--his homet o w n - - a s technical director. At first Minor was to work on the development of new products aimed at increasing sales of wheat starch and wheat gluten. In J u n e 1949 he joined the sales department to help increase the sales of both monosodium glutamate (MSG) and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. At the same time, Minor was an active member of his neighborhood community: he was the scoutmaster of Harbor Beach (population 2,500), a member of the men's chorus, and a councilm a n for Parks and Buildings. He was also program chairman of the Great Lakes section of the Institute of Food Technologists, a role t h a t indirectly influenced him to start his own business. 91

He resigned from Huron Milling in the fall of 1950 to start making plans for his own business. Nevertheless he remained on the company's payroll for six months after leaving. Meanwhile, Toby Bishop of International Minerals & Chemicals--manufacturers of Accent--offered him a technical position. Minor t u r n e d down this opportunity, so Bishop hired him as a consultant instead, to work with their food scientists developing new products. Minor received a monthly retainer from International Minerals & Chemicals for two years.

The M o v e to C l e v e l a n d When Minor invited his second cousin, Thomas A. Ryan, to give a speech on his views of food to the Institute of Food Technologists, Ryan challenged Minor to sell his house, move to Cleveland, and start a business. He predicted t h a t in Cleveland Minor could become as famous in the food i n d u s t r y as Vernon E. Stouffer. So it was that, after selling their house, the Minor family moved to Cleveland and Minor founded the L.J. Minor Corporation in September 1951. At 37 years of age, Minor was in business for himself, starting with a lot of faith, $6,000, a borrowed Hobart mixer, and an air-conditioned rented room. The cash represented the equal investments of Minor; Joe Bertman, Cleveland's General Foods distributor and the first distributor of Minor's products there; and Tom Ryan, a lawyer who remained as a participant in the venture until his death in 1977. Minor's plan was to make food bases (chicken and beef) t h a t would improve on and, eventually, replace soup bases. For the first time in history, chefs would be able to use i n s t a n t stocks to

make foods t h a t met the quality standards of "classical cooking" established by Auguste Escoffier. "From my experience in the food industry," Minor recalls, "I knew there would always be room for a company t h a t sells quality products consistently controlled to ensure uniformity at a fair price. Service must be a keynote. Every effort m u s t be put forth to give the customer exactly the product he or she specifies. If one does that, one m u s t be proud to name the company after himself or herself." "After World War II," explains Minor, "the food-service industry needed food bases t h a t could be the foundation for stocks, soups, sauces, and gravies." Rising meat costs and portion-controlled meats had eliminated the supply of m e a t y bones once available for making stocks. And chefs who were trained in the classic stockpot method were scarce. Instead of using meatless soup bases, it made sense to use bases t h a t included meat and could be the foundation for more t h a n just soup. Minor developed concentrates of freshly cooked meat and

poultry, and later of seafood and vegetables, t h a t made it easier and more economical to prepare stock because they saved time, labor, equipment, and fuel in the kitchen. Moreover, quantity soups, sauces, gravies, and entr~es could be enriched with natural flavors. The first bases, made of chicken and beef, were sold under the ill-conceived "Dietitian" brand name. At first Minor did the manufacturing, packaging, and selling himself. He did not have the funds to hire a salesperson, and no one could be found who would work on a straight commission. Minor sold a few accounts in Cleveland but says he realized his "ineptness as a salesman." On a trip to Boston, Minor enticed Bob Buntin, a broker, to carry his line in t h a t city. Eventually, Buntin gave Minor the motto for Minor's bases: "Always in good taste." Next, Minor hired J o h n n y Hayes, the Olympic m a r a t h o n champion of 1912, who had been selling olives, to sell Minor's food bases in New York City. When Minor was asked at a dietitians' convention if he was putting dietitians in jars, he changed the 92

name on the label to "Minor's." But still not much business was being done. Minor heard of a caterer in Detroit named George Rommel. He went to Rommel and told him t h a t he needed a chef to represent the product line and sell bases. Rommel suggested J e a n Caubet, who was preparing a meal t h a t night for several hundred people. Minor proposed to Caubet t h a t he sell the product line. Caubet said: "I am not a salesman. I am a chef. But I will try it tonight in my chicken fricassee." "Well," Minor exclaims, upon recalling t h a t episode, "my guardian angel m u s t have been on my shoulder, because Chef Caubet received compliments on the fricassee and took the leftover food bases home with him and made soup for his daughters, who opined, 'Daddy, this is good soup.'" The rest is history. Chef Caubet represented the Minor's brand in Detroit, and in partnership with a salesman, Eric Swanson, Minor's business grew to over $2 million in sales a year in Michigan. But we are getting ahead of the story.

The Road to Success Minor had to be frugal with funds. He tells of the trip he went on with Chef Caubet to northern Michigan to call on resorts. "One night we slept together in the same bed at the Dam-Site Inn. The room cost us just six dollars, but we had to save every dollar we could." In 1952 Minor bought out his partners, Ryan and Bertman, by taking out a second mortgage on his house and borrowing against an insurance policy. Ryan remained active with Minor's, however, and became sales m a n a g e r of the firm and eventually general manager. A great THE CORNELL H.R.A. QUARTERLY

persuader, Ryan was also a gifted talent scout who brought outstanding people into the business. He had intuition and was a seasoned judge of h u m a n character. Minor considered Ryan the greatest h u m a n being he ever knew and, as Minor reports, at the time Minor thought to himself, "Thou art Thomas, and on this rock I shall build my business." Today, 16 years after Ryan's death, Minor says his convictions about Ryan are just as strong. P l a n t s a n d samples. Minor's first plant was a 12-by-14-foot room, with an air conditioner, in Bertman's pickle plant. The second was in an old horse barn, built in the 1890s in a former coal yard. After a 1957 renovation, the plant passed federal inspection. The third plant, which had been a car wash, was renovated to meet plant standards set by the Meat Inspection Department of the United States. Samples were a necessity from the beginning. On Saturdays the Minor family would visit the plant and make up one-ounce and four-ounce samples in glass jars, using a small spoon to fill the jars. One Saturday the Minors' parish priest happened to stop by and, upon seeing the tedious assembly line, suggested that the Minor family use cake-decorating bags and nozzles. That one suggestion revolutionized sample packing. In 1959 Stouffer became Minor's first chain and industrial account. Bases were sold to its stores and frozen-food plants. New bases were developed, including clam, ham, mushroom, and turkey--later, lobster, onion, and garlic bases were added. From the earliest moments of the company, Minor realized that the people who would appreciate the value of his product line were FEBRUARY 1994

retired executive chefs. "Each chef was an outstanding, respected professional with extensive kitchen experience and impressive culinary credentials," says Minor. Three of the best-known chefs to assist the company were John Sector, J e a n Caubet, and Ernest Koves (who established a school in his house in New York City for teaching others how to use Minor's bases). Carl Richter, Michael Minor, Hans Buschkens, and more than 50 chefs eventually were trained and worked all over the world before joining the Minor Corporation in Cleveland. Others became the corporation's most-effective salespeople and workers, including John Sector, H e r m a n Breithaupt, George Marchand, Michael Palmer, Otto Denkinger, Emil Burgermeister, Pierre Bach, and H a r r y Bazaan. Brother H e r m a n Zaccarelli, M a t t h e w Bernatsky, F r a n k Sigmund, Peter Gust Economou, and Ruth E. Minor (Lewis's wife) and the rest of Minor's family also had influential roles. Mrs. Minor in particular helped by joining Minor at night filling emergency orders and making the delivery while Minor stayed behind to clean up. Perhaps Mrs. M i n o r ' s biggest contribution came when Stouffer's needed a sauce for beef tenderloin. Mrs. Minor's gravy saved the day and led her to a closer relationship with Margaret Mitchell, who was executive assistant to Vernon Stouffer, who was in charge of quality control and product development for all Stouffer restaurants. The Cornell Hotel a n d Restaurant Administration Quarterly also promoted Minor's bases in m a n y of its "tested quantity recipes" that appeared in the magazine in the 1960s and 1970s. Ryan and Minor spent a good 93

deal of time at Cornell and had close relationships with many of its faculty members and administrators, all of whom became valuable friends of Minor's. Those Cornell connections helped Minor to build the business, and the influence of The CorneU Quarterly gave his company an aura of class and distinction that was mutually advantageous to the development of the business and the education of Minor's students when Minor was teaching. In 1961 Minor returned to school. "I went back to school and enrolled in Michigan State's foodscience department," Minor recalls, "to verify scientifically Escoffier's contention that older animals have more flavor than younger ones of the same species and thus provide better soup and gravy stocks." Thus it was in 1964 he earned his Ph.D. in food science and his thesis topic was "The Identification of Some Chemical Components of Chicken Flavor--Comparing That of Young and Old Birds." With his doctorate in hand, the recently graduated Minor became an assistant professor in the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management at Michigan State University, where he taught half-time for 20 years and became a full professor. Among many other things, Minor taught his students about the harm of smoking long before the topic was fashionable, and predicted as early as 1965 that some day r e s t a u r a n t s would have "no smoking sections" and hotels and motels, "no smoking rooms" for their guests. One day the university's president, John A. Hannah, asked Minor how he could teach at MSU while owning the Minor Corporation in Cleveland at the same time. Minor replied simply, "Because I have good people

example, one of Minor's favorite slogans is, "Quality is remembered Minor professed that laughter is the relief long after the price is forgotten." valve for life, and his philosophy regardHe t a u g h t students to "aim for the ing the meaning of a smile he attributes to eagle r a t h e r t h a n shoot at the Hal Roach: It costs nothing, but it creates much. rat," and quoted his mother as It happens in a flash, but the memory of saying, "Eaten bread is soon it sometimes lasts forever. forgotten" and his father as There are none so rich that they can get noting, "Accuracy is the key to along without it, and none so poor but success." In other words, do your are richer from its benefits. best today and then repeat t h a t It brings rest to the weary, comfort to the sad, and hope to the discouraged and outstanding performance every is the countersign of friends. day of your life. He also emphaIt fosters good will in a business and sized Irish comedian Hal Roach's happiness in the home. entreaty, "Remember to live every It is something that cannot be begged, day as if it's your last, because bought, borrowed, or stolen, but it is of no earthly good to anyone until it is one day you'll be right." given away. On September 10, 1993, Minor So if in the course of the day your friends received the outstanding alumnus are too tired to give you a smile, why award from Michigan State don't you give them one of yours? University's Department of Food For nobody needs a smile more than those who have none left to give. Smile! Science and H u m a n Nutrition alumni association. Ruth. Minor t a u g h t the importhere." H a n n a h concurred by tance of one's spouse in business saying, "That's what it takes, and life. Without hesitation he good people, isn't it?" credits his choice of marriage Educator, Mentor, and Author partner as the smartest decision he ever made and boasts to those Minor's entry into teaching in close to him t h a t of all the tri1964 was due, in part, to an umphs in his life, he is proudest invitation by well-known hospiof his relationship with her. tality educator Lendal Lewis and Ruth Minor's relaKotschevar, who was teaching at tionship is a perfect example of Michigan State University at the marriage as a partnership. Ruth time. In his new position as Eloise Angell, a native of Lansing, visiting professor at the School of Michigan, graduated from Clinton Hotel, Restaurant and InstituCounty Teacher's College in 1933 tional Management, Minor t a u g h t food-service science during and thereafter t a u g h t eight grades of students in one-room schools for the fall and spring quarters and six years. Lewis and Ruth married shaped the school's food-service in February 1939, after which she and food-science curriculum until focused on raising their eight 1984. For nine years, starting in children. In 1951 she took on the 1975, his classes included one in additional duties of helping Minor food-flavor evaluation. establish the L.J. Minor CorporaDuring his 20 years at Michition. Says Minor, "The success of gan State University, Minor the business and the man can be touched the lives of over 1,000 attributed to her unfailing support present-day leaders in internain good times and bad." tional hospitality with his high standards of excellence. StateMinor's Students Remember ments he made 20 and 30 years Richard Brooks, vice president of ago in his classes are as imporrooms m a n a g e m e n t for Stouffer/ t a n t today as they were then. For

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Renaissance Hotels and Resorts, recalls t h a t Minor brought "a high standard of excellence to the classroom. Perhaps most important, he had a sense of identification with his students t h a t was communicated every day. He brought reality to the classroom and shared his experiences freely." Houston Striggow, general m a n a g e r of Topof the Triangle restaurant, says t h a t by bringing chefs into the classroom, Minor "provided his students with an appreciation for food and the food-service industry." Michael Zelski, director of technical development for FEARN International, remembers how Minor "taught with a mix of theory and real-world experience t h a t led to better understanding." Bennett Schwartz, vice president of Harper and Associates, says t h a t Minor "taught because he enjoyed it, and I enjoyed learning because of him." Kotschevar, now a professor at Florida International University, wrote this about Minor in 1992: "He is a great teacher and gives liberally from his broad knowledge. All students who came in contact with him enriched their lives and gained valuable information from which they could better perform in their professions." John Zehnder, food and beverage director of Zehnder's, Inc., says: "When my time finally came to take a course t a u g h t by Minor, I approached it not unlike a primitive youth about to begin the rites of passage into adulthood. Fear, excitement, and curiosity-all those emotions stirred within me. The classroom was respectfully quiet as he entered through the door on t h a t first day of class, and there he was--Lewis J. Minor--the legend. No one knew what to expect. We had all heard THE CORNELL

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stories. And oh, the lessons t h a t we learned. "We were t a u g h t t h a t smoking wasn't healthy, at a time when smoking was still the thing to do. We were often reminded t h a t as college students we didn't have all the answers, even though we thought we did. We were lectured on responsibility and accountability, in an era of rebellion. Minor t a u g h t us more t h a n m a n a g e m e n t principles; he t a u g h t us lessons in life. He t a u g h t us to be professionals. He t a u g h t us t h a t ethics are more important t h a n most business people realize." Robert Brymer, a professor of hospitality administration at Florida State University, says, "I will never forget the great openhouse parties at [the Minors'] home. As a graduate s t u d e n t and assistant to Minor, this w a r m t h and congeniality was most appreciated. I will always appreciate the tremendous personal interest Minor took in his students. He truly cared about each and every one of us." M.A. Bossler, executive manager of the Detroit Athletic Club, sums up the feelings of Minor's former students when he says, "I learned from Minor t h a t in life great deeds are never done alone. There is always someone to thank. T h a n k you, Doctor Minor." Minor has authored, coauthored, and edited over 12 textbooks and has written several articles on topics covering food quality, flavor, and production systems in refereed journals and trade magazines. 1 1F o r e x a m p l e , L.J. M i n o r is a n a u t h o r w i t h six c i t a t i o n s in t h e 3 4 - y e a r h i s t o r y of The Cornell Hotel and R e s t a u r a n t A d m i n i s t r a t i o n Quarterly. See: "Food Flavor," Vol. 7, No. 3 ( N o v e m b e r 1966); "Views on P o l l u t i o n in Science P r e s s " a n d " E l i m i n a t i n g W a r m e d - O v e r F l a v o r in P r e c o o k e d Food," Vol. 11, No. 2 ( A u g u s t 1970); "Today's F o o d - P r o d u c t i o n S y s t e m s , " Vol. 13, No. 1 (May 1972); " N u t r i tion," Vol. 15, No. 1 (May 1974); a n d " Q u a l i t y as a n Economic Force in t h e Food-Service I n d u s t r y , " Vol. 18, No. 2 ( A u g u s t 1977).

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Philanthropist and Patriarch From his earliest teaching days Minor brought chefs to the classroom at his own expense and, each term for the past ten years, he has donated food supplies for his laboratory food classes. In the fall of 1993 he made a $2.25-million gift to Michigan State University to benefit During the fall of 1993, Lewis and Ruth Minor endowed the both its School of Hotel, R e s t a u r a n t and MSU-HRIM Chef Michael L. Minor Culinary Professional Program. The program is expected to begin in Fall 1994. Institutional Manage- Pictured left to right: Lewis, Michael, and Ruth Minor. m e n t and the foodCounty Community College. science department. Two-million Also, Lewis and Ruth Minor dollars of t h a t gift is for the recently established the Kathleen School of Hotel, R e s t a u r a n t and Mary Minor Student Loan F u n d Institutional M a n a g e m e n t to at I n d i a n a University-Purdue establish the MSU-HRIM University Fort Wayne, in Chef Michael L. Minor Culinary Professional Program, a fifth-year memory of Minor's mother. In 1980 the Minors were post-baccalaureate program catalysts in bringing a certified designed to prepare culinary executive chef, Robert Nelson, professionals for careers leading who was a former L.J. Minor to fast-track positions as execuCorporation chef, to Michigan tive chefs and food-service entreState University to be chef de preneurs (see photograph, above). cuisine at the School of Hotel, That business-focused program Restaurant, and Institutional will be launched during the fall Management. Nelson thus besemester of 1994. came the first chef in the world Minor has also given to the appointed to the faculty of a American Culinary Federation, the Cleveland Clinic, Cornell hospitality program in a college of business. Later the Minors University's School of Hotel Administration (in honor of pledged to endow a chair at Michigan State University, to be Thomas A. Ryan), the Culinary Institute of America, the William called the Dr. Lewis J. and Mrs. F. H a r r a h College of Hotel Ruth E. Minor School of HRIM Administration at the University Chef de Cuisine. As head of the Minor family, of Nevada at Las Vegas, Johnson and Wales University (in honor of mentor to industry leaders, H e r m a n Rusch), the Purdue professor emeritus of Michigan University Restaurant, Hotel, State University's School of Institutional, and Tourism Hotel, R e s t a u r a n t and InstituM a n a g e m e n t School (in honor of tional Management, and founder Minor's father, Newell W. Minor), of the L.J. Minor Corporation, the University of Rochester, the Lewis J. Minor is indeed one of hospitality's benefactors. CO Ryerson Institute, and Sullivan 95