When Laurie Gorton heard that The Bakery Cos. (T.B.C.) acquired Masada Bakery, founded by brothers Hezi and Koby Stein, she couldn’t wait to hear about this next step for all of them.
“We’ve enjoyed getting to know the Masada folks. Hezi and Koby are like my brothers from another mother,” Cordia Harrington, founder and c.e.o. of T.B.C., recently told Ms. Gorton, Baking & Snack’s executive editor, who’s known the two families for a long time. The brothers were not looking to sell their company, yet they were concerned about its future since neither had children in the business.
“But once we met Cordia and her team, we knew this would be an excellent fit,” Koby said.
According to Ms. Gorton, Ms. Harrington operates at a very human and personal level. During Baking & Snack’s visit to Masada, Cordia invited a dozen of the local managers to participate in the interview.
“That’s quintessential Cordia — always making sure that her team shares the spotlight,” Ms. Gorton recalled.
Ms. Harrington wanted the Masada staff to tell the story themselves of the “new” bakery under T.B.C. management. The one aspect that came through in all their remarks was that they were pleased to have a family-owned bakery come under ownership of another family-owned organization. However, Ms. Gorton caught a few looking at Ms. Harrington like a whirlwind had just blown into their lives. It has. Even at well-managed Masada Bakery, Ms. Harrington’s influence has raised expectations and excitement.
As Ms. Gorton explained, “Anyone who knows ‘The Bun Lady,’ as Cordia likes to be called, can attest to the fact that she does live her life with exclamation points all around.”
