Today, Trilevsky, who is the sole owner of FullBloom's 95,000-sq.-ft. bakery, has taken her experience of “hard knocks” and shared her inspiring story with others. She is currently on the board of directors for Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, a professional association that promotes the education and advancement of women in the restaurant industry. Trilevsky is frequently in demand as a motivational speaker for organizations that might benefit from her entrepreneurial experience.

After realizing that many of her own employees had reached a plateau in their careers, and valuing the power of higher education, Trilevsky founded the Smart Cookie Scholars Program. This scholarship program currently provides financial assistance for 24 individuals — some of whom are employees or children of employees, while others are from the local community. Trilevsky and her fellow Smart Cookie board members ensure that students stay on track academically and require students to participate in 20 hr. of community service per semester.

As a woman and an entrepreneur, Trilevsky truly represents a minority among business owners. Her vast experience and appreciation of her success is manifested in the way she operates her bakery. In a USA Today article entitled, “Women Business Founders are on the Rise, but not in ‘Fortune’ 1000,” April 23, 2008, the author Del Jones states that female entrepreneurs may be less driven by company size and instead driven by relative profitability, the impact their company makes on society, company culture, employee satisfaction and other values. No where is this more evident than at FullBloom Baking Co.

FullBloom Baking Co. at a glance

Headquarters: Newark, Calif.

Ownership: Karen Trilevsky

Web site: www.fullbloom.com

Management: Karen Trilevsky, founder and C.E.O.; Scott Reed, senior vice president, operations; David Caraska, vice president, sales; Frankie Whitman, vice president, marketing; Laverne Matias, vice president, human resources; Russell Gitzen, manager, R&D; Jose Carlos Santiago, plant manager.

Product line: Muffins; loaf cakes, including banana bread and zucchini bread; large and miniature scones; a variety of premium cookies; multi-layered bars; granola; and a whole line of laminated products, including croissants, chocolate croissants, Danish and morning buns.

Marketing territory: Primarily northern California. New frozen capabilities will allow company to expand its geographic area.

Plant size: About 95,000 sq. ft.

Production lines: Two continuous processing lines; one laminating line; a high-capacity, automated depositing line; a sheeting line; two high-efficiency tunnel ovens with impingement technology; automated depositing.

Plant throughput: Production in Menlo Park was about 8 million lb. per year. The new plant, which opened in June, is capable of producing more than three times that amount.

Packaging: Overwrapped and shrink-wrapped product using recycled packaging materials whenever possible.

Distribution: Product delivered to customers' distribution centers

Number of employees: About 220