Laurette Rondenet-Smith, president and CEO of Edlong Dairy Technologies, Elk Grove Village, IL, is one of ten outstanding business leaders who were inducted into the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) 2014 Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place on Thursday, November 6 at the Chicago History Museum.
 
Under Ms. Rondenet-Smith’s leadership, Edlong has become a world-class supplier of dairy flavor technologies. The company has shifted strategic direction to a focus on dairy flavors, ingredients and flavor delivery technologies; changed its culture from an operations mindset to a service-driven, customer-intimate supplier; and achieved unprecedented sales and profit growth in the highly-competitive flavors category.
 
“Laurette is an exceptional leader who is passionate about every employee having a voice in our processes and future, and on a greater level, feeding the world,” said Edlong’s vice president of sales and marketing, Jennifer Lowry.
 
The Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Award is the oldest and most prestigious Chicago area entrepreneurship award. Over nearly 30 years, this community has inducted renowned entrepreneurial leaders. Through the businesses they have built and their personal engagement, these entrepreneurs have made enduring social and commercial contributions that have helped foster a thriving, diversified economic engine in Chicago and have enhanced Chicago communities.