Meet the FamilyMeet The Family
Jim Rosen - CEO & President
Coming from a long line of bread makers, 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.
John Updegraff - Vice President of National Sales
John joins Highland Baking Co. with over 30 years of experience in the foodservice industry and 20 years of bakery sales experience. Having led sales teams at Sara Lee Bakery, Hazelwood Farms Bakeries and, most recently, Pennant Foods, John has extensive experience in all facets of sales in the Foodservice and In-Store Bakery channels. John and his wife live in the Chicagoland area. Their oldest daughter works at De Paul University, and their youngest is attending seminary in Minneapolis.
Bob Imbordino - Director of Sales-Retail and In-Store Bakery
Bob has been working in the baked goods industry for over twenty years, specializing in sales to in-store bakeries. Because of his background as a trained chef and bakery owner, he brings a unique understanding of the needs of in-store bakeries and their customers. Bob is married with 2 children and lives in St. Charles. When he isn’t coaching football, he’s refereeing the Big 10 rivalry between his son and daughter.
Greg Murrell - Director of National Accounts
Greg has been in the foodservice industry since graduating from Baylor University in 1990. He has worked in both purchasing and sales for a regional and a national broad line foodservice distributor. As a manufacturer’s representative, he has worked in Direct Sales, Sales Management, Broker Management, Training and National Account Sales. Gregg has been a Director of National Accounts for Highland Baking since 2006. He and his wife and their two young daughters live outside Austin, Texas.
Stacy Jo Thompson - Director of National Accounts
Stacy Jo came to Highland Baking Co. with more than 25 years of chain and national account sales experience. Before joining our family, she was most recently a team member at Icelandic USA and Maplehurst Bakeries, Inc. Stacy Jo and her husband reside on the west coast of Florida.
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.
Rosemarie Campbell, PhD – Research and Development
In addition to coming from a long line of traditional European bakers (she’s the fifth generation), Rosemarie also has 46 years experience in the baking industry, 30 years of which have been in R&D. Having studied both in and out of the classroom in both the US and Europe, she holds five master certifications in various baking disciplines and a PhD in food science. Despite all this experience, Rosemarie is still constantly on the lookout for new ideas in bread making and loves the challenge of meeting a chef’s demanding requirements and vision.
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.