Despite annual revenues of $160 million, its own manufacturing facilities and a plethora of brands, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) division of Maple Leaf Foods, the largest publicly traded food processing company in Canada, was losing money.

Lewis N. Rose, President of the division, and his team developed a clear strategy to focus on core competencies and grow those business segments with identifiable competitive advantages (e.g. strong brand names, unique product advantages, and product ranges with the greatest leverage).

They attracted an outstanding management team, set targets and assigned specific deliverables with accountability to each senior manager; and acted decisively to: reduce the number of stock keeping units (SKUs), exit unprofitable lines of business with low-growth, and expand core categories via innovative product extension and refreshed marketing.

In an 18 month period, Lewis and his team improved gross margins, reduced the capital employed in the business, and improved earnings from a loss of $2 million to profit of $3.5 million.