Paula Marshall’s people-first mindset guides growth

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Paula Marshall’s people-first mindset guides growth

30 Jun 2025

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

KANSAS CITY, MO — As technology and consumer access to information progress, the rapidity of trend cycles is tighter than ever. For Paula Marshall, CEO of Tulsa, OK-based The Bama Cos., it means not only being willing to listen to customers but also being ready to act.

Much of Bama’s customer base is focused on clean-label products, enabling the company to stay ahead of the game, so to speak. But Marshall knows that things happen quickly these days, and the product developers who are in tune with — and stay in front of — the pendulum swings will remain successful.

“Over the past few years, I’ve maintained an awareness for how the trend cycles are changing,” she said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of information coming out about different ingredients, and we’re going to see more change coming. Obviously, an apple pie has to taste like an apple pie, and it has to be delicious, but we have to be ready to adapt based on demand around how products are made.”

Automating with the team in mind

While consumers are mostly the ones driving the speed of change in terms of product development, Marshall is also keeping a close eye on how the labor landscape has evolved. With workforce woes still permeating the industry, she believes that automation is only part of the solution.

“The technology we, as an industry, have invested in to solve the people shortages still requires people who know how to run it,” she said. “Innovation is happening really fast in that regard, and we need to be careful not to outstrip the technical capabilities of our people. If technology outpaces people’s ability to know how to use it, then it’s no longer solving the problem we needed it to solve.”

Training on the machines is incredibly important, but for Marshall, there’s no substitute for having people in the plant who are not only knowledgeable but who also care about what they’re doing.

That’s where the hard and soft skills intersect, and it’s inherent in the Bama Cos. mission: “People helping people be successful.” That’s accomplished through care and accountability, and for Marshall, these are the two most critical factors in bringing the mission to life.

“Innovation is happening really fast … and we need to be careful not to outstrip the technical capabilities of our people.” — Paula Marshall | CEO | The Bama Cos.

Team member mentality

In the baking industry — and the business world — Marshall has a reputation for building Bama’s culture into a place where people not only want to work but they’re also inspired to give their best.

“When you put caring with accountability, it brings a balance,” she said. “As humans, we need accountability; otherwise, things can go off the rails pretty quickly. But caring is not a sign of weakness. We take a big interest in what’s going on with our people. If we see they’re stumbling, we’re there for them.”

With more than 1,000 employees in the US and abroad, Marshall sees every team member as an extension of the family.

In fact, through a collaboration with Marshall’s daughter and stepson, Bama transformed an underutilized building into the Bama Caring Center (BCC), equipped with classrooms and HR offices, as well as a counseling center, medical clinic and legal aid, to assist with a range of personal challenges employees might be facing. Other benefits also include tuition reimbursement and profit sharing for manufacturing team members, but the BCC yields the best intangible ROI.

“For what I consider to be not a huge financial investment, this has been considered the No. 1 team member benefit,” Marshall said. “Whenever I ask a team member, ‘What do you love most about Bama?’ They always say the BCC and the clinic.”

Make no mistake. Care is not charity, and the resources available in the BCC are considered an exchange for work well done. Guard rails are in place to keep the operation running smoothly.

“There are things that have to be done,” Marshall said. “You have to be here; you have to be on time. We are a crew, and we need everyone on the line supporting one another. If there’s a problem, we’ll help you get through it, and we encourage open conversations. But working here and enjoying those benefits means meeting expectations.”

Through the care and accountability philosophy, Marshall maintains a long-term view of the Bama workforce.

“When we are willing to help them, they’re willing to do their jobs at a high level and make great products for our customers,” she said. “To me, it makes perfect sense, and it’s how we’ve been able to retain talent, sometimes for 20 or 30 years.”

Living legacy

Growing up with the stories of Bama Co.’s co-founder Cornelia Alabama’s matriarchy, Marshall might not have imagined being a matriarch of change herself. Nonetheless, she’s carried on a legacy that was passed down from her grandmother to her father and on to her with grace, compassion and an unyielding commitment to quality through innovation.

Perhaps Cornelia Alabama never imagined her handheld pies becoming a global company, either. But here it is, supporting foodservice operators with pies, pizza crust, breads and more through its US operation and Bama Europa — the recent UK acquisition — as well as operations in China and Poland.

“We put Bama on the map,” Marshall said. “That has been pretty amazing to accomplish for my family.”

For her, in fact, it’s the greatest gift of all.

This story has been adapted from the April | Q2 2025 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.

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