New Albany Chamber Membership Luncheon with Speaker Cheryl Krueger
Cheryl L. Krueger - An Entrepreneur's Road to Success
Cheryl Krueger, 62, is the Founder and former-President and Chief Executive Officer of Cheryl & Co., a cookie, gourmet dessert, and gift basket retailer. She started the company in 1981 in Columbus Ohio with a single cookie store that grew into a $50 million corporation. In March 2005, Cheryl & Co. was sold to 1-800 Flowers with Cheryl remaining as its CEO until March 2009 when she retired. She recently founded KRUEGER+CO. Consulting, Inc. and serves as its CEO. Its primary focus is to help companies develop creative marketing and sales strategies as well as evaluate and identify opportunities in product development pipelines, operations, logistics, and improve financial performance.
Cheryl graduated from Bowling Green State University Summa Cum Laude in 1974 with a degree in Liberal Arts. She began her career as a Buyer for Burdines Department Stores headquartered in Miami, Florida. She also worked as a Vice President of Sales for Chaus, Inc. (a women’s clothing line) in New York City and at The Limited as a Merchandise Manager. After founding Cheryl & Co. in 1981 with her college roommate Caryl Walker, Cheryl continued to work two jobs to fund the growth of her company until 1985 when Caryl was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 1986.
After joining Cheryl & Co. full time in 1986, she repositioned the company to include not only retail stores, but also developed a business gift division and became the first cookie company in the United States to start a catalog division in 1989. In 1992, Cheryl & Co. created a foodservice division which started selling to the airlines. The internet, which is the largest and fastest growing division, was launched in 1997.
Cheryl & Co. products have been featured on Rachael Ray, Ellen DeGeneres, CNN, Dr. Phil, The Today Show, the Food Network, QVC, and numerous regional TV stations along with multiple radio and print features across the country.
Cheryl currently serves as a Board member for Bob Evans Farms Inc., and is Chairperson of their Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. In 2012, Cheryl was appointed to The Ohio State University Board of Trustees.
She also served on the Board of The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Foundation as its Past President, was recently appointed to serve on The Ohio State University Medical Center Board, and was asked to serve as the Co-Chair for Project ONE, the upcoming capital campaign for the OSU Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital. She also serves on The OSU Foundation Board. She currently serves as Chairperson on the Marketing Committee for the Columbus Academy after serving 8 years as a member of its Board of Trustees as well as its President. She was Chair for Columbus Academy’s last Capital Campaign. She is a member of the World President’s Organization (WPO) and an Honorary Board Member for the Seal of Ohio Girl Scout Council. Her past Board involvement includes the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the Federal Reserve Board for District 4, The OSU 4-H Foundation Board, and The OSU Human Ecology Advisory Board.
Cheryl is honored to have received awards from many prestigious organizations, from the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award to “Business Person of the Year” from The Ohio State University and the Business Integrity Award given by the Greater Columbus Better Business Bureau. Following her induction into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame, she was selected as Female Entrepreneur of the Year for the United States by Working Woman Magazine. She recently received the James Champion Award for her service to the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
She is extremely proud of the countless non-profit partnerships she has helped inspire including raising over $250,000 for the Tressel Family Fund, Cookies for A’s project, CHIPS Program – recognized by the state of Ohio as an outstanding example of private businesses partnering with public schools, student scholarship programs, military support programs, establishing relationships with the area food banks, and her trips to Appalachia each year with her church to help families in need.
As John Kasich (former Ohio Congressman, Fox News Show Host, and Governor Candidate for Ohio) was quoted in his book, Courage is Contagious: “We need thousands more business owners with Cheryl Krueger’s courage, creativity, compassion, and sense of civic duty.”
Cheryl L. Krueger
Awards & Accolades
Personal Recognition |
|
OSU’s Gerlach Award of Distinction - 2010 | |
Champion Award – The James Cancer Hospital & Solove Research Institute – 2009 | |
Doctor of Humanities – Capital University – 2009 | |
Dallas Hamilton Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame – College of Business Administration, Bowling Green Sate University – 2008 | |
Center Ohio Corporate Caring Award – 2007 | |
Multiple Sclerosis Society – Norman Cohn Award – 2007 | |
Junior Achievement – Ohio Business Hall of Fame – 2005 | |
Olentangy Business Hall of Fame – 2003 | |
Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement – 2002 | |
Distinguished Leadership “Celebration of Hope” presented by Huntington’s Disease Society of America – 2002 | |
Working Woman Magazine Entrepreneurial Awards – General Excellence Award – 1999 | |
Working Woman Magazine – Top 500 Women-owned Businesses – 1998, 1999 | |
Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame – 1999 | |
Ohio BEST Practice – Integrated Project (C.H.I.P.) – 1999 | |
Business Woman of the Year, Columbus – Consumers’ Choice Award for Business Excellence – 1999 | |
Who’s Who in American Business – 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997 | |
The Ohio Department of Development – Excellence in Enterprise Award – 1996 | |
Rosabeth Moss Kanter-Excellence in Enterprise Award – 1996 | |
BBB Business Integrity Award of the Year – 1995 | |
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year – 1988, 1991, 1994 | |
AB Graham Club Award - OSU 4-H Foundation – 1994 | |
Outstanding Innovative Achievement Award presented by Innovation Alliance – 1992 | |
4H Alumni Recognition Award – 1992 | |
Outstanding Achievement in Service – Bowling Green State University -- 1990 | |
YWCA Women of Achievement Award – 1987 | |
The Ohio State University – Ohio Business Person of the Year – 1986 | |
Columbus Chamber of Commerce – Business Person of the Year – 1985 | |
Ohio Community Achievement & Influence Award – 1985 | |
Who’s Who Among College Students – 1973-1974 | |
Cheryl & Co. Recognition |
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American Institute of Banking – Superior Rating - 2001 thru 2008 | |
Ohio Circle of Customer Excellence Award - 2007 | |
American Graphic Design Award – 2004 | |
Fast Fifty Award – Business First Magazine - 1997, 1998, 1999 | |
United Way Employer of the Year - 1996 | |
Institute of Business Design – Best Store Design | |
Mead Top 60 Awards of Excellence in Graphic Arts (2 awards) | |
Best Cookie of Columbus (3 years) | |
Best of Indianapolis (6 years) |
Date and Time
Tuesday Oct 14, 2014
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM EDT
Tuesday
October 14, 2014
Location
Embassy Suites
2886 Airport Drive
Columbus, OH 43219
http://www.columbusairport.embassysuites.com
Fees/Admission
$30 member
$40 nonmember
Website
Contact Information
New Albany Chamber office: 614-855-4400
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