Charlotte Atchley

It’s always nerve-racking jumping into something new. Sometimes, however, the need is too great, and a new venture is necessary. Other times, it’s an opportunity born from the question “why?” or “why not?” The Rotella family’s latest ventures — Rotella’s Cold Storage and Ag Alchemy Animal Nutrition — both sprouted from either a need or an opportunity to do things differently. Lou Rotella III, chief operating officer, and John Rotella, general manager, of Omaha, Neb.-based Rotella’s Italian Bakery, were simply ambitious enough to try.

One big change that Lou Rotella III, chief operating officer, and John Rotella, general manager, Rotella’s Italian Bakery, have noted about their tenure at the company is the emphasis on work-life balance. While they both assert their father, Lou Rotella Jr., chief executive officer, would go to extreme lengths to attend their sporting events — he once traveled overnight by bus on a business trip to watch a soccer game — they recognize that the team they’ve assembled around them have allowed them to be more involved at home.

At the heart the Rotellas are bakers, and meeting customer demands is still top priority. That fueled Omaha, Neb.-based Rotella’s Italian Bakery’s need to expand into cold storage, but it has also led to building a new bakery. The main campus’ capacity is tapped at two 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.

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Both Lou Rotella III, chief operating officer, and John Rotella, general manager, Rotella’s Italian Bakery, Omaha, Neb., have taken the lessons and examples given to them by their father and grandfather to cultivate leadership styles that have high expectations but are not without compassion and empathy for their employees. Both men lead first with a collaborative mindset, accepting feedback from all departments and job roles when looking at how to improve the bakery, solve challenges and serve customers. These traits are part of the reason they were named Baking & Snack ’s Operation Executives of the Year in 2024. There is pride in being Rotellas, proving themselves and taking personal responsibility for the success of their employees and the business.

All of Rotella Italian Bakery’s products are frozen, and since the company maxed out its onsite 3,500 pallet freezer in 1994, it has used third-party cold storage facilities across Omaha to store its products. While the family had batted around the idea of building its own cold storage facility, the pandemic solidified the need. For the first time in Rotella’s history, the company was having issues maintaining its 99% fulfillment rate because of lack of space in those cold storage facilities.

The Rotellas are under no illusions that they have been lucky that each generation has at least a few members who are willing to take over the family bakery business. They understand there are no guarantees that the next generation will be interested. Even beyond family, ensuring that the veteran expertise will not be lost to retirement is also critical to Rotella Italian Bakery’s success. With that in mind, the latest project put on the plate of Lou Rotella III, chief operating officer, is succession planning.

In addition to opening a cold storage facility, John Rotella, general manager, Rotella’s Italian Bakery, Omaha, Neb., has turned some of the company’s waste — bakery by-products — into a new revenue stream and company. Ag Alchemy Animal Nutrition, his companion animal food business, was born from a constant evaluation of how the bakery can improve its sustainability initiatives.

Rotella’s Italian Bakery, Omaha, Neb., has grown to the point that to join the family business does not mean that you have to be a baker. The company has needs beyond knowing how to bake a good loaf of bread, from engineering and maintenance to marketing and sales. Family members who join the business are encouraged to find their niche, a way that their personal passions and strengths will serve the company best. Both Lou Rotella III, chief operating officer, and John Rotella, general manager, have found success and been named Baking & Snack ’s Operation Executives of the Year for 2024 by playing to their own strengths.