Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Real Estate

Speaker: Sue Gin
Chairman and CEO, Flying Food Group

Sue Gin is a legendary, Chicago-based entrepreneur who has transformed her creativity, passion for excellence and business acumen into successful organizations that meet and exceed customer expectations.

Her Chinese immigrant parents ran a restaurant in Aurora, where Sue first learned about food service. Moving to Chicago alone at age 19, Sue invested in property and soon also owned restaurants and a wholesale bakery. This food service acumen paved the way for her next step: in 1983, she formed Flying Food Group (FFG) to provide passenger meals to airlines. Beginning with just one customer—a start-up airline based at Midway Airport—Sue and FFG quickly attracted other airline customers with innovative, fresh food products and original packaging that helped build passenger loyalty.

Today, FFG counts over 80 airlines—primarily international carriers—as loyal customers. They include Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, JAL, Air India, Singapore and China Airlines.

With 3400 employees worldwide, and revenues exceeding $300 million, FFG has also diversified over the past decade to produce fresh foods for a growing number of retail customers, including Starbucks, Disney and Kroger. Much of its success is due to its far-ranging network of 16 U. S. production facilities in the U.S., and one in Shanghai, China.

FFG’ s creative team of over 25 chefs is knowledgeable in preparing various cuisines. They are backed by the company’s capacity to expertly address customers’ packaging and distribution needs.

In addition to her continuing hands-on leadership as Chairman and CEO of Flying Food Group, Sue is president of New Management, Ltd., a flourishing real estate sales, leasing, management and development firm that she founded over three decades ago.

Continually aware that no one stands alone, Sue constantly shares her time and talent with a variety of organizations. She is on the boards of the Exelon Corporation, Commonwealth Edison and Centerplate. She has long been active on the boards of important civic organizations: including DePaul University, The Field Museum, Chicago Botanical Gardens and Rush University Medical Center. She is also president and director of the Sue Ling Gin Charitable Fund and on the board of the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, founded in memory of her late husband, Bill McGowan.

Speaker: Valerie Jarrett
CEO, Habitat Company

Biography to come.