Sutton not slowing down, adds more suburban distribution centers
As a nurse more than 30 years ago, Seattle Sutton just wanted to help a patient eat the right things and return to better health.
She didn't think it would lead to owning and operating a business that would reach its third generation, including her three daughters and four granddaughters.
Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating has expanded nationwide, including a new distribution center in Schaumburg that has a grand opening next week. That distribution center will be run by her granddaughter Leah Egofske of Schaumburg. The company, based in Ottawa, Illinois, also has distribution centers in Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Palatine and Streamwood.
“I was working with my husband (Herman ‘Kelly' Sutton), who had a medical practice,” she said. “And there was a patient one day who said he needed help.” The patient needed help with nutrition and portion control. That's when an idea sparked to start a small business, Sutton said.
“And I was 53 years old at the time,” she said. “It's not often that you hear of someone starting a business when they're 53 years old.”
It started with a $1,000 personal investment and made about 230 weekly meals in 1985. The company now makes about 220,000 meals a week for customers.
Now at 82, she has no plans to slow down, despite the loss of her beloved husband last year.
“You know, we donated a clock last August to honor him,” she said of a memorial event in Marseilles, Illinois. That's where they raised their five children and she still lives today. She took care of him during the last two years of his life, until he died of heart problems after a valve replacement, she said.
She's also a 15-year breast cancer survivor. “I appreciate every day,” she said.
“You know, I've been asked if I ever thought to look back and think this would become such a big company and I said, ‘Yes.” Just like that. It's because I'm an optimist,” she said. “This business was never done before and I didn't want to follow others who did the liquid diets and fad diets. I love a challenge.”
For sale, by movie
Michael LaFido of Jameson Sotheby's International Realty is the real estate broker behind a movie called “Imagine,” shot in a Barrington Hills home. He hired a five-person video crew, brought in six actors, a horse, and four luxury vehicles. The home was vacant so he had the home staged and had his interior designer make the home stand out to potential buyers.
Family owned and award winning
Chris McCloud, CEO of McCloud Services, a pest management company based in South Elgin, said the company received the 2014 Century Award presented by Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan School of Business. The award recognizes outstanding family-owned businesses, in operation for 100 years or more. The company marks 110 years with four generations of family ownership and leadership.
FastTracks
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Joe Kenny of Realty Executives Midwest in Darien, Richard Dunn of Coldwell Banker Real Estate in Wheaton, and Rachael Real of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Lombard have each won the 2014 Community Service Award from Downers Grove-based Mainstreet Organization of Realtors.
Jeff Mowery, managing partner of Mowery & Schoenfeld in Lincolnshire, said his firm has acquired the practice of Helen M. Wydra CPA in Park Ridge. ... Brian Gladden is the new chief financial officer for Deerfield-based Mondelez. He replaces David Brearton in December.
Famed coach Mike Ditka is putting his name and face on a new “Da Ditka Pizza” featured by Nancy's Pizza. It will include cheese, meatballs, pepperoni, onions and green peppers. The restaurant has locations in Aurora, Bolingbrook, Lake in the Hills, Niles, Roselle, Wheaton, and elsewhere.
Rose M. Roberts-Jassoy in St. Charles has been named a member of the 2015 President's Council of New York Life. Members of the President's Council are among the top five percent of New York Life's sales force of 12,000 licensed agents.
Mike Pavone, chief operating officer and vice president of sales at Woodridge-based Tensor International LLC, said he has sold a new press line to Al-Anbaa Newspaper in the Kuwait City-Shuwaikh area of Kuwait. The company makes single-width web offset press equipment.
• There's more to business than just the bottom line. We want to tell you about the people that make business work. Send news about people in business to akukec@dailyherald.com. Follow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter.