Meet the FamilyMeet The Family
Jim Rosen - CEO & President
Coming from a long line of bread bakers, Jim has more than 35 years experience in the baking industry as a manager of baking operations. He opened Highland Baking Co. in 1985 as a five-person operation dedicated to providing a quality product and exceptional service and has overseen the growth of the company from its local fresh delivery roots to its national service capabilities. Jim lives in Northbrook. He and his wife of 35 years, Gail, have three children and five grandchildren.
Stu Rosen - General Manager & Vice President
A 4th generation bread baker, Stu has grown up in the family business started by his father, Jim, and always knew he wanted to be in the bakery business. After earning an advanced degree in business management, Stu joined the company full time. Stu lives with his wife and four children.
Ron Katarzynski - Sales Manager
Ron has been working in foodservice sales since 1995 and has enjoyed working with local Chicago and national customers and meeting the needs specific to each. His passion for baking can be traced back to both his being a Certified Pastry Chef by the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) and then the bakery he owned and operated for several years. Ron lives in Winfield, IL with his wife and five daughters.
Michael Galenson - Plant Manager
Michael, a USSR émigré and holder of a degree in Food and Restaurant Management from a college in Moscow, has a long history in the foodservice industry. Starting off as a restaurant manager in first his home country and then the US, Michael joined Highland in 1996 as our plant manager. He is married with a daughter and lives in Northbrook.
Gail Rosen - Corporate Secretary
Gail opened Highland Baking Co. along with Jim in 1985 as a five-person operation dedicated to providing a quality product and exceptional service. She lives in Northbrook and has been married to Jim for over 35 years. They have three children, five grandchildren and this business, which she has always considered her fourth child.
Cheryl Rosen Wedyck - Director of Human Resources
As the daughter of Jim and Gail Rosen, Cheryl grew up in the bread business but officially joined the company as part of the customer service department in 2002. After obtaining a degree in psychology from DePaul University, she took over the human resources department. Cheryl is married and has a daughter.
Boris Golenson – Chief Engineer
Boris has been a part of Highland Baking Co. since 1989, working his way up to his current position as Chief Engineer. He is a native of Belarus and has a degree in mechanical engineering.
Steve Barnhart - Research and Development
Steve has been in the foodservice industry for over 10 years and has worked at restaurants and catering companies. He began his education at Kendall College’s School of Culinary Arts where he developed his traditional European-style bread baking under the tutelage of the world’s top bakers. In 2007, Steve became the youngest Certified Master Baker in the US.
Eric Testroet - Quality Assurance Director
Eric possesses 20 years of experience working in USDA and FDA regulated facilities in the food processing industry. Before joining our family, he gained a wealth of knowledge in such management positions as Quality Assurance/Control, Food Safety, Operations/Production, Research & Development, Technical Services, Sanitation, Procurement, Warehousing and Sales Management.
Francisco Nevarez - Plant Manager
Joining Highland right after finishing school, Francisco has been with us since 1998, working his way up from a Special Delivery Driver then a Sanitation Manager then a Quality Assurance Supervisor to an Assistant Plant Manager and now Plant Manager. He is married with one son.
Adriana Salgado - Office Supervisor
Adriana has been part of the Highland family since 1997—her first job out of school. Her responsibilities include training office and customer service employees, providing our customer service team with the tools they need to offer exceptional service, offering Spanish language support to our Spanish-speaking customers and taking charge as a Customer Service Leader. Adriana is proud of her two wonderful daughters.