EnTrends

FMSS is currently working on.
Rodriguez receives updates from the
Vice President of Technology in the
morning and at the end of the day.

When asked about people that have
been instrumental to her success,
Rodriguez credits a CEO of Swift &
Co. named Joe Sullivan. He was a
mentor during the implementation of
the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. "Joe
was a tremendous influence on me. I
admired him. He was always anxious
to hear what I had to say. For a CEO
to take that much interest in a
program was very admirable."

Rodriguez says that she has also
learned through negative
experiences. One thing learned is that
when one is in a service business
and must write proposals, there is a
constant balancing act of letting
clients know that you have expertise,
but not divulging enough
information that they can use the
proposal for competitive bidding
purposes. Another lesson arose after
collaborating with other companies
on projects. Rodriguez has learned
that billing must be done directly to
the client, instead of through
collaborators. This assures payment.
"Beginning entrepreneurs are so
hungry for the business and the
account, that they don't look at the
fiscal side. It's critical to look at the
fiscal side."

As an entrepreneur, Rodriguez says
that she loves the freedom of being
able to make her own decisions
based on the values and ethics that
were taught to her at Dominican
University. She loves being able to
provide an environment where her
employees can learn and grow.

Away from work, Rodriguez enjoys
quiet time. A wife of 32 years, and
mother of three, she is looking for
relaxation at this point in her life. She
loves to attend the Symphony,
browse art galleries, and attend
family gatherings. She also loves to
garden and read. Rodriguez says that
she is

finally finding time for herself after all
these years of nurturing her family
and growing her company. When
asked if she was the popular mother
on the block as her children were
growing up, Rodriguez jokes, "We
have had a lot of Cub Scouts come
through here! I guess you sort of
build a reputation when people know
you work with food."

Rodriguez also enjoys mentoring
students and being involved in her
business community. She recently
helped revitalize a business district in
her area that had been 20-30% vacant
before. Rodriguez encourages
students to visit her website to learn
more about her particular company
and industry.

As for advice she would give to
entrepreneurs starting out, Rodriguez
says, "Stay away from debt. One of
the things I did early on was set
aside an account I call my 'sleep at
night' account. I have not touched
that since. Even though I do borrow
money, I know that if I ever had to
close my doors, that line of credit
would be paid off." Not honoring
fiscal obligations is unimaginable for
Rodriguez.

For More Information on Food
Marketing Support Services, Inc.,
visit their website at
www.fmssinc.com

or call 708-386-7809