In January 2010 Tayte French Lutz, fourth generation of the French family leadership, joined the company as Marketing Coordinator. Since then, Lutz has made notable achievements through her work with the company in the areas of marketing, manufacturing, and management. Most recently, Lutz graduated from the Harvard Business School Owner President Management program on June 15th, 2022 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Upon completion of the program, Tayte was promoted to Vice President of French Oil Mill Machinery Co. She is part of a four-person management team that leads the company.
The HBS OPM program Lutz completed was delivered in three units over three calendar years, both virtually due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and with in-person classroom instruction. According to the Harvard Business School website, graduates of OPM emerge as visionary entrepreneurial leaders, ready to inspire an agile culture, lead organizational change, capitalize on disruptive innovation, and sustain enterprise success. Her education and experience at Harvard Business School supports this description.
Prior Experience
Lutz has over 12 years of experience with the company in materials management, production support, scheduling, brand management, marketing, and business analysis. Before Lutz joined the company over a decade ago, she embarked on a professional journey in the retail and fashion industries that contributed to her well-roundedness.
Starting in junior high school, through her high school years and while receiving her undergraduate degree, Lutz worked at French for several summers. She graduated from the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, with a Bachelor of Science in Management (BSM) in Marketing. She also studied Marketing in the European Union at the MBA Institute in Paris, France.
She started her career in the Buyers Training Program at Bloomingdale’s in New York City, then moved to the vendor side with a position at DKNY before ultimately returning to the family business in 2010.
Future Success of the Company
Lutz’s continuing education and promotion is part of a strategy for the future strength of our company and signifies our intent to maintain operations as a family lead company for the benefit of our partners: Our shareholders, customers, employees, customers, vendors, and community.
Daniel French, Lutz’s father, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, noted “I am extremely happy that Tayte continues to grow in her role as the fourth generation of the French family, now as Vice President. Tayte’s success signals long-term continuity for our customers and employees, and her keen business and marketing skills will contribute to the company’s continued growth and world-wide development”.
Lutz added, “Our family business is long known as a global leader for its continuous innovation, quality design, and manufacturing, has always been an important part of my life. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the company at this level, and to continue our family’s history.”
French History
Founded on May 25, 1900, French has remained under family ownership and management throughout our 122-year history. Daniel French, Chairman of the Board and CEO, served as company President for 31 years. His grandfather, Alfred Willard French, who founded the company, then his grandmother, Grace Albers French, and lastly, his father, Alfred Willard French, Jr, preceded him. Both Lutz and her brother, Peter French, serve on the company’s Board of Directors. Of all the US companies founded in 1900, it is estimated that less than 2% have survived and are still owned by descendants of the founding family.
French Oil Mill Machinery Company is an ISO-certified, 4th generation family-owned U.S. company that custom designs, manufactures and supports hydraulic press systems for molding rubber and composite materials, industrial rubber mixers, dewatering and drying presses for synthetic rubber production and oilseed processing equipment. Founded in 1900, the company partners with their stakeholders, in over 80 countries worldwide, to provide products with superior value and superior service that improve their customers’ productivity and reduce their overall production costs. French’s 225,000 square foot corporate office and manufacturing facility are located in Piqua, Ohio.
We make machines to make people’s lives better. © FOMMCO