THE ANNOTICO REPORT

In 1975, Jeno Paulucci founded the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) in Washington D.C., a non-profit organization that represents 25 million Italian Americans and has served as the catalyst for the formation of other U.S. ethnic organizations.In 2004, Jeno Paulucci was named the Number One Overall Entrepreneur in the World by Ernst & Young.

Jeno F. Paulucci (born 1918) is an Italian- American businessman and entrepreneur famous for starting over seventy companies during his long career. Paulucci began his long career in the grocery industry while working for his family's small grocery store during the Great Depression. On February 8, 1947, During the 1940s, Paulucci developed the Chun King line of canned Chinese food products. By 1962, Chun King was bringing in $30 million in annual revenue and accounted for half of all U.S. sales of prepared Chinese food. Chun King was sold to the R. J. Reynolds tobacco company in 1966 for $63 million. In 1985, Paulucci sold his Jeno's Pizza Rolls brand to the Pillsbury Corporation for $135 million.In the early 1990s, Paulucci returned to northeast Minnesota to launch Luigino's, Inc, a frozen food company specializing in Italian food such as pasta marketed under the Michelina's brand named after Paulucci's mother.

Paulucci is also involved in charity work, publishing, and public speaking. A self-described "peddler from the Iron Range" Paulucci is closely associated with northeast Minnesota, where he was born, and known for his candor and colorful public statements. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeno_Paulucci
 

UMD Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony is set for Saturday, May 16 at 12 noon at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center

University of Minnesota Duluth
5/16/2009 
 

Lois and Jeno Paulucci to be Honored at UMD Undergraduate Commencement May 16; at the DECC; UMD’s Largest Ceremony Ever

DULUTH - This will be UMD’s largest commencement ever with 1,200 students and over 100 faculty members marching in the event. Total number of students receiving undergraduate degrees this academic year is 1,800....

Lois and Jeno Paulucci well-known civic leaders, humanitarians and internationally recognized entrepreneurs will be honored during the ceremony. Mrs. Paulucci will be presented the Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award, and Mr. Paulucci will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for public service by UMD Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin. The honorary degree is the highest award conferred by the University of Minnesota, recognizing individuals who have achieved acknowledged eminence in cultural affairs, in public service, or in a field of knowledge and scholarship.

Lois and Jeno Paulucci have worked together in their 62 years of marriage as civic leaders in Northeastern Minnesota. As a team, they have developed the food industry career of Jeno Paulucci, who is one of the nation's most influential business leaders and an internationally recognized entrepreneur, activist and humanitarian.

The Paulucci's have built more than 50 companies and organizations worldwide, which led to economic opportunities for thousands of workers.

Over the years, Jeno and Lois Paulucci have quietly helped hundreds of people when faced with personal hardships, from providing transportation for seeking medical care to financial help during a crisis. In 2006, the Pauluccis were main supporters in the construction of the Solvay Hospice House, the first residential hospice house in Duluth.

In 2001, Lois Paulucci spearheaded development of Duluth's Bayfront Park. The Paulucci Hall in the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center recognizes their efforts in the original construction of the complex in the 1960s. In the 1970s, Jeno Paulucci helped lead the legislative efforts for establishment of the UMD Medical School. Over the years, the Pauluccis have received many local, national and international awards.

In 2004, Jeno Paulucci was named the Number One Overall Entrepreneur in the World by Ernst & Young, the global accounting and business services organization. At the same time, Jeno Paulucci became the first recipient of the International Lifetime Achievement Award for Activism, Entrepreneurship and Leadership. This was the first such award in Ernst & Young's 20-year history of honoring entrepreneurs from all parts of the world. Jeno Paulucci has served as a presidential economic adviser for more than 50 years, and he twice served as a presidential emissary to Italy. In the late 1950s, he founded the North Eastern Minnesota Organization for Economic Education, which led to the passing of the Taconite Amendment and the revival of the iron ore industry. In 1975, Jeno Paulucci founded the National Italian American Foundation in Washington D.C., a non-profit organization that represents 25 million Italian Americans and has served as the catalyst for the formation of other U.S. ethnic organizations.

Lois and Jeno Paulucci live in Duluth. They have three children: Michael (Mick) Paulucci, Cindy Paulucci Selton, and Gina Paulucci, and four grandchildren.

http://www.businessnorth.com/pr.asp?RID=3202

Susan Beasy Latto; Director of Public Relations; University of Minnesota Duluth; 305 Darland Administration Building; 1049 University Drive; Duluth, MN 55812

218 726-8830 (office); 218 348-5688 (cell); 218 726-6186 (FAX); slatto@d.umn.edu
 
 

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