The Bailin family has launched the Samuel I Bailin Memorial Endowed Scholarship at the School of Hospitality Leadership at DePaul University in Chicago IL. The scholarship is named for family patriarch Samuel “Sam” Bailin, a Frozen Food Hall of Fame inductee, foodservice icon, and national business leader who died in 2008.
“To us Sam was more than just a trusted ally and advisor; he was a mentor and true friend,” said Jeffrey S Purdy, executive vice-president of Dart Direct Marketing, who initiated the scholarship fund-raising and organization. “We could think of no better way to honor our friend than by helping others in his name.”
Consideration for the scholarship, which is distributed bi-annually, will be given to undergraduate students enrolled in the School of Hospitality Leadership who exhibit financial need and are in good academic standing. Additional consideration may be given to students considering a career in foodservice management and/or supply-chain operations or a similar field.
Sam Bailin—whose business success spanned six decades—most recently ran Samuel I Bailin Inc, where he was a foodservice industry consultant and provided expert services to manufacturers, distributors, and brokers in the United States and Canada. He founded Redi Froz Inc in 1952 and would eventually rise to vice-president of Scot Lad Foods, which acquired Redi Froz in 1962. His other industry honors include the Trailblazer Award, the Green Thumb Award, the Igloo Award, and the Innovator of the Year Award.
“Sam Bailin was an outstanding individual and unique contributor to the foodservice and hospitality industry,” said Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc, a long-time Bailin client that donated $25,000 to the scholarship fund in his memory, the largest contributor to date.
Other donors and corporate sponsors interested in contributing to the scholarship are encouraged to contact TJ Veneris at [email protected] or 312-362-7428.
