OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — "A boss lady is somebody who boldly chooses her own direction. She gets stuff done, she often strays from the conventional path and blazes her own trail. She often works towards a higher purpose outside of her own personal success." - Maggie Sullivan, author of "Boss Ladies of CLE"
Jodi Berg is at the helm of her fourth generation family business, Vitamix - but her vision extends beyond blenders.
"I think 'Boss Lady' is kind of a fun term, but at the at the end of the day it's all about leading," she says. "You can help people connect their own personal purpose with your purpose so you kind of just build an army of momentum of people that help make that happen. That that makes you a leader."
As CEO, Berg has been credited with turning Vitamix into a global brand, one that’s seeing continued growth during the pandemic.
"Right now, [it's about] anything that people can do to boost their immune system to eat better, and the Vitamix fits right into that," she told 3News. "So we have been incredibly, incredibly busy thankfully, and in order to be able to give people that tool that they need, it's been all hands on deck."
And in the pandemic, Berg says leadership takes on a new meaning.
"We wanted to keep everyone safe, make sure that they could go above and beyond in their workspace [with] whatever they needed, and then let's figure out how to make sure we interject joy throughout the day," she said. "We can kind of counter balance some of that anxiety or that emotional stress that goes on."
For this family business, Berg says, a family friendly environment goes hand in hand.
"Employees' kids created posters to remind their parents this is what you should do when you're at work," she said. "We blew them up as big as we possibly could and we stuck them on the walls."
In this "new normal," Jodi says she’s found joy in some changes to her own routine, including spending more time with her daughters, a new dog, and cooking.
"I'm testing out all these new amazing Vitamix products that are coming out, so I get a little bit of an advantage by being able to test them," she said.
Berg told 3News there are a few new products she's especially excited about.
"One that just came out is our immersion blender, and it is a hand held Vitamix," she explained. "It's got just about as much power as a Vitamix, but you're holding it in your hand.
"The other one that I am so excited about is the food processor attachment, and this is an attachment that goes on our new series: the 'Ascent' series."
Beyond testing new products, Berg is also immersed in identifying future trends. She sees nutrition and high-quality food as a big focus in the future.
"This awareness of the the actual power of the food that we that we eat and where that food is coming from, and how close can you get to what we would call the whole food - the most natural form of food," she said. "I envision a world where we're actually going to see the decline of food-related diseases because people look at food differently...I want Vitamix very much to be a part of it."
A world that, Berg says, will always be centered in Cleveland. The area has been Vitamix's home since 1948, even as the brand's global reach continues to grow.
"You don't need a Vitamix to eat healthy," she admitted, "but if you have one, it certainly makes eating healthy a lot more fun and a lot easier."