09Aug2009

A Family Encore at On-Cor

WHEN SOL FRIEND got out of the Army after World War II, he just wanted a steady job. In founding On-Cor Frozen Foods in Chicago in 1946, he got that, and much more.

With On-Cor now into its third generation, we decided to chat with Howard Friend, the president and CEO, and his son, Charlie, the marketing manager. Sol died in 2003, but he clearly left a lasting legacy.

WHAT’S THE BEST BUSINESS ADVICE YOUR DAD EVER GAVE YOU?
HOWARD: My father would say “There’s only one way to coast, and that’s downhill.” He really lived that and drove it into me – that you always have to be moving forward – whether it is for new items, packaging, or advertising.
CHARLIE: He’d tell me, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get.’ When I took a sales territory on the West Coast, we didn’t have a lot of business there and it was difficult. My dad told me not to get discouraged, that I’d get a lot of “no’s” before a few yes’s.

WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST JOBS IN THE BUSINESS?
HOWARD: In the early days – I was under 10 – if you mailed in two side panels from a package, we’d mail you back a fifty-cent piece inside an index card, with a note thanking you for purchasing from On-Cor. So after dinner, mom, dad, and I would sit around the table. They’d type the envelopes and pass the inserts down to me, and I’d put everything inside. My first real job, though, in 1972, was scrubbing the cook room.
CHARLIE: My first job was pushing carts full of entrees into the freezer. I was 16 and it was during the summer.

ANY PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE MOMENTS?
HOWARD: On one of my first sales calls, I took my samples into a store and asked for “Bob” from frozen foods. I was directed to the break room, and he was having his coffee and a cigarette. It was clear I was the last person he wanted to see right then. It can be tough. Sometimes, the buyer only half-listens while he reads the rest of the sports page. With “Bob,” over time, I made the sale, but I learned a lot about both him and me. Some buyers’ objections make you realize your presentation doesn’t cover all the pertinent points, so you improve. My dad used to say “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.”
HARLIE: Years ago, when On- Cor was coming out with a TV spot with a wrestler, my grandfather and I watched all the actors’ audition tapes together. He asked me which of the actors seemed most like a real wrestler. I remember how it made me feel – that he valued my opinion.

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP THEIR CHILDREN SUCCEED?
HOWARD: Have passion for what you do, be sincere and have a strong work ethic.
CHARLIE: My dad told me on my first day to be comfortable in my own skin, and not try to be like him or my grandfather. I had to handle things in the way that made me most comfortable, and should understand there are many ways to get the same result.