Jeno Paulucci
Encyclopedia
Jeno F. Paulucci was an American businessman and entrepreneur
famous for starting over seventy companies during his long career. Paulucci's most well-known ventures included his frozen food
company, Michelina's Inc., and food products such as Jeno's Pizza Rolls and the Chun King line of Chinese food. He was also involved in charity work, publishing and public speaking. A self-described "peddler from the Iron Range
," Paulucci was closely associated with northeast Minnesota
, where he was born, and known for his candor and colorful public statements.
town of Aurora, Minnesota
. Paulucci's parents, Ettore and Michelina, had recently moved from Italy
and his father was a miner in one of the region's iron
mines. He began his long career in the grocery industry while working for his family's small grocery store during the Great Depression
. On February 8, 1947, Paulucci married Lois Mae Trepanier. They had three children together.
Jeno was a game show contestant on CBS's "Whats My Line" in 1963. Jeno was also featured on the television show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" with Robin Leach.
marketed under the Michelina's brand named after Paulucci's mother.
Paulucci started Paulucci Publications in 1979 with the launch of his magazine
for Italian Americans, Attenzione. In January 1981, The New York Times
reported that Paulucci’s magazine “had survived 19 issues in an area where others could not make it to six.”
Leda Sanford
, the magazine’s editor-in-chief and publisher, said “patience and a lot of money” was required to make the magazine succeed.
Paulucci sold Attenzione to Adam Publications in January 1982.
Sanford reported that Paulucci had put $6 million into the publication.
. Since the 1980s, Paulucci owned numerous land holdings in Seminole County, Florida
and was an active philanthropist in the community.
should be increased.
in the 1970s and served as a presidential emissary to Italy
. The Paulucci Space Theater, a planetarium in Hibbing, Minnesota, is named in honor of Paulucci.
to Ohio
. Ohio had offered Paulucci publicly-financed low-interest loans. Many accused Paulucci of violating his professed commitment to northeast Minnesota during a time of economic hardships. In response to these criticisms, Paulucci told Minnesota Public Radio
, "I'm a businessman, I'm not going to say oh gee, I'm a nice guy." Paulucci and his daughter began a legal battle in 2006 over guardianship of his daughter's substantial trust fund.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
famous for starting over seventy companies during his long career. Paulucci's most well-known ventures included his frozen food
Frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved their game and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows down decomposition by turning water to ice, making it...
company, Michelina's Inc., and food products such as Jeno's Pizza Rolls and the Chun King line of Chinese food. He was also involved in charity work, publishing and public speaking. A self-described "peddler from the Iron Range
Iron Range
The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
," Paulucci was closely associated with northeast Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where he was born, and known for his candor and colorful public statements.
Early life
Paulucci was born in 1918 in the miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town of Aurora, Minnesota
Aurora, Minnesota
Aurora is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,682 at the 2010 census.State Highway 135, County Highway 100, and County Highway 110 are three of the main arterial routes in the community.-Geography:...
. Paulucci's parents, Ettore and Michelina, had recently moved from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and his father was a miner in one of the region's iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
mines. He began his long career in the grocery industry while working for his family's small grocery store during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. On February 8, 1947, Paulucci married Lois Mae Trepanier. They had three children together.
Jeno was a game show contestant on CBS's "Whats My Line" in 1963. Jeno was also featured on the television show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" with Robin Leach.
Career as entrepreneur
During the 1940s, Paulucci developed the Chun King line of canned Chinese food products. By 1962, Chun King was bringing in $30 million in annual revenue and accounted for half of all U.S. sales of prepared Chinese food. Chun King was sold to Reynolds Metals Company, a division of the R. J. Reynolds tobacco company, in 1966 for $63 million. In 1985, Paulucci sold his Jeno's Pizza Rolls brand to the Pillsbury Corporation for $135 million. He later regretted selling the pizza rolls, saying, “I should’ve kept the pizza roll. It’s something that’ll damn near live forever.” In the early 1990s, Paulucci returned to northeast Minnesota to launch Luigino's, Inc., a frozen food company specializing in Italian food such as pastaPasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
marketed under the Michelina's brand named after Paulucci's mother.
Paulucci started Paulucci Publications in 1979 with the launch of his magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
for Italian Americans, Attenzione. In January 1981, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that Paulucci’s magazine “had survived 19 issues in an area where others could not make it to six.”
Leda Sanford
Leda Sanford
Leda Sanford, , is an author, speaker, former publisher and former advertising director. She was the first female publisher of a major national magazine. She became president, publisher and editor-in-chief of the magazine American Home and the American Home Publishing Company in 1975...
, the magazine’s editor-in-chief and publisher, said “patience and a lot of money” was required to make the magazine succeed.
Paulucci sold Attenzione to Adam Publications in January 1982.
Sanford reported that Paulucci had put $6 million into the publication.
Heathrow, Florida
In the 1980s, Paulucci planned and developed the master-planned community of Heathrow, FloridaHeathrow, Florida
Heathrow is a census-designated place and an unincorporated suburban community in Seminole County, Florida, United States. Heathrow is located on the I-4 Corridor in Central Florida, 19 miles Northeast of Orlando and 38 miles Southwest of Daytona Beach...
. Since the 1980s, Paulucci owned numerous land holdings in Seminole County, Florida
Seminole County, Florida
Seminole County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. Located between Orlando to the south and Deland and Daytona Beach to the north, it is part of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. Its county seat and largest city is Sanford...
and was an active philanthropist in the community.
Business philosophy
Describing himself as an "incurable entrepreneur," Paulucci advocated several innovative strategies for building small businesses. From the 1940s to the 1960s, his Chun King company attempted to "cut out the middle man" and "take advantage of waste." Paulucci did not use any personal money for his businesses and instead relied on public financing provided in exchange for job creation. Paulucci was also credited with building one of the first national brands of frozen pizzas and taking advantage of the growing acceptance of frozen food as a meal. As Paulucci told a reporter, “Wherever there’s a microwave, I believe we should have our product.” Unlike many business owners, Paulucci was ardently pro-union and believed that the U.S.'s minimum wageMinimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
should be increased.
Charity and philanthropy
In addition to his business success, Paulucci was involved with numerous charitable causes. He was a prominent advocate for Italian-American issues. He founded the National Italian American FoundationNational Italian American Foundation
The National Italian American Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational foundation that promotes Italian American culture and heritage...
in the 1970s and served as a presidential emissary to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The Paulucci Space Theater, a planetarium in Hibbing, Minnesota, is named in honor of Paulucci.
Controversy
Paulucci's long career was not without controversy. In 1982, Paulucci moved 1200 jobs from the Jeno's Pizza plant in Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Ohio had offered Paulucci publicly-financed low-interest loans. Many accused Paulucci of violating his professed commitment to northeast Minnesota during a time of economic hardships. In response to these criticisms, Paulucci told Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
, "I'm a businessman, I'm not going to say oh gee, I'm a nice guy." Paulucci and his daughter began a legal battle in 2006 over guardianship of his daughter's substantial trust fund.