A Recipe For Success: How Bake'N Joy is Raising Caring Leaders With WTFP Support

Bake’N Joy Foods, a Massachusetts-based leader in the baking industry, has grown from a small, family-run bakery supplier into a fourth-generation leader in the baking industry. Known for its high-quality mixes, frozen doughs, and finished baked goods, the North Andover-based company serves supermarkets, foodservice operators, and convenience stores nationwide. But behind its signature products, the company is equally focused on developing its people.

With more than 300 employees and plans to grow, in 2024, Bake’N Joy leadership saw an opportunity to invest in developing leaders by expanding their training programs. Through the Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP) and in partnership with MassMEP as their training provider, the company launched a 13-week training initiative that sustains growth, retains talent, and strengthens leadership pipelines.

Brian Harper, Operations Training & Development Manager at Bake ‘N Joy, shares a profound view on how much the WTFP grant has impacted the company’s future. “When I first joined the company back in 2023, they were starting to talk about planning for the next year, and one of the things the company has been doing is we’re in the long-range planning goal right now, we’re planning through 2041, which will be our 100th year,” said Harper. “One of our focuses that came from these executive meetings was that we need to focus on leadership and how to develop and create caring leaders and build our pipelines. We reached out to MassMEP, and they connected us with Commonwealth Corporation’s grant,” he added.

MassMEP (Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership) is a nonprofit organization that supports small and medium-sized manufacturers in their business growth services, operational excellence, technology acceleration, and training & workforce development. Describing the impact of the funding opportunity and their partnership with MassMEP, Harper said: “We are implementing a 13-week program focused on leadership development. We talk about things like change management, skills matrix, onboarding, and HR principles. A huge strength of the program is how it brings together staff from different departments – warehousing, production, and office. This mix helps participants realize that, although their challenges differ, many are actually very similar. It’s broken-down silos that sometimes businesses fall into, and encourage cross-department communication. The curriculum has also evolved as MassMEP adapted the content for future groups. We’re about to launch our fourth class, and MassMEP now has a clearer sense of what works best, including adding team-building exercises and other hands-on elements.”

Bake’N Joy recognized that their leadership development and training programs needed a bit of whisking to help employees rise to the next level. Brian says, “Our biggest priority has been building a strong skills matrix and job architecture. Like many manufacturers, we’re always looking for talent we can retain and develop, and a skills matrix will show our employees a clear path for growth. For example, someone hired as a packer can see the specific steps needed to progress to the next role.”

Harper also shares the results of how these trainings impacted the employees. “The response has been positive. One standout example was in our first class, where managers from our two warehouses were able to sit together in the class once a week for four hours. That face-to-face time deepened their connection and allowed them to discuss challenges in real time. We’ve also seen newer managers, many of whom had never received formal leadership training, benefit by asking practical questions about issues they face daily, and in that experience, other peers in the room can share advice to give them new tools and perspectives. It’s beneficial because they really get to connect with people they don’t normally connect with on that level, which is important to Bake’N Joy because we want to have caring leaders, we want to have people that are empathetic, and we know that it’s going to help everybody developmentally grow.”

While there is a positive view from the employees, the company has also experienced how the training program positively impacted productivity, quality, and overall growth, especially with new hires. “We’ve seen real results on the floor. Participants have applied the skills matrix with their teams, breaking down jobs into steps that employees can master progressively. This has given new hires more attention and clearer development paths, which has improved retention.” Brian also adds, “Instead of just standing at a station and repeating tasks, employees are now guided through structured learning, which motivates them and strengthens their contributions. This shift has helped us retain talent and increase productivity.”

MassMEP’s Business Development Advisor, Ron Giard, shares how employees respond to the training: “The biggest impact I’ve seen is people stepping out of their comfort zones, like presenting in front of a group. This training really pushed them to grow in that area. It got them out of their shell, which is huge.”

Bake’N Joy’s leadership and MassMEP’s training program has helped develop the future of Bake’N Joy’s workforce development. Here is what Brian Harper had to say to other businesses considering the WTFP funding: “For us, it was a no-brainer. MassMEP and Commonwealth Corporation provide excellent guidance, and Massachusetts has a strong manufacturing network that businesses can lean on.” Harper also says, “The grant program is an incredible tool; it allows companies to invest in growth and create jobs.”

Giard adds, “For small and medium-sized companies, the Workforce Training Fund is a great vehicle. It helps them invest in their people while getting some of the cost covered through the program. Larger organizations often have budgets and departments for this, but smaller ones usually don’t. What we hear consistently from client surveys is that having this support available is invaluable for manufacturers. It gives them the resources to upskill their employees in ways they couldn’t afford otherwise.”