Addison meat company founder to focus on millenials

Monika Rose Walas grew up in the meat processing industry. As a young girl, she often went with her father, Quantum Foods founder Edward Bleka, to his office in Bolingbrook, and she eventually worked there.

But when Quantum filed bankruptcy and closed its doors earlier this year, she didn't think twice about her career. By May, she became the president and founder of Mistica Foods LLC in Addison and possibly one of the few female leaders in the meat processing industry, still a male dominated business. Yet, she felt it was a natural choice and didn't worry about discrimination.

On top of it, she was perhaps one of the youngest at 28 to run such a company.

"Being brought up in that environment, I wasn't worried," she said. "Since I was old enough to realize it, it didn't affect me or discourage me. I was introduced to customers years before and it had built up my confidence. I wasn't intimidated by the environment."

Walas was born and raised in Lemont and earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from DePaul University in Chicago and a masters of business administration from Loyola University in Chicago. She also has studied international business at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, and in Germany in affiliation with DePaul University.

When her father started Quantum Foods, she was about 4 years old, and she enjoyed visits to her father's company.

"I was always very intrigued with the process and how it all works," she said.

She learned a strong work ethic, dedication to hard work, and how to care for the well-being of employees. By the time she reached high school, she was eager to work for her father's company.

Her father wanted her to keep her summers open and enjoy herself, but she said she wanted to work. So he started her on the production floor.

"That's where I learned about yields and everything that equals to the bottom line, by the end of the day," she said.

She was the only female in the room, she said, but that didn't bother her. And she worked her way up the ladder. She was vice president of business development for Quantum by the time it had filed bankruptcy.

During Quantum's final days, clients were in a panic, wondering where they would get their meat products, Walas stepped in and started finding them sources. That led her to develop Mistica Foods.

"Even before Quantum closed, I was out talking to customers. I had to shift plans and thoughts very quickly," she said.

She also wanted a different approach to her meat processing company, compared to the competition. She wanted to help customers with more than just supplying meats, but also help with solutions on what would help them sell more.

"I want to have the best understanding of customers and help them," she said. "And I want them to be prepared on how to appeal to the millennials, they've married later, they have family later, and they're eating more in the retail area," she said.

She plans to continue specializing in beef, poultry, pork and lamb products for restaurants and retailers and aims to do more than just follow in her father's footsteps. While she raises two children with her husband, Kamil, she also is busy with doctoral studies around business as it relates to the meat industry and consumer trends.

"I have had a very strong upbringing and it has helped me to have resilience and how to bounce back from adversity," she said.

Tasty award

Tom Walter, chief culture officer and president of Elk Grove Village-based Tasty Catering, picked up an award for healthiest workplace and spoke to a gathering at the American Psychological Association at the Westin in Rosemont last week.

On a mission

Pete Caliendo, president of Caliendo Sports International in Hoffman Estates, and wife, Beverley, will join Willow Creek Church on a mission trip Oct. 18-25 to El Salvador to do some construction work in the community. They also will bring along some baseball equipment for the kids to enjoy and keep.

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