2006 Entrepreneur of the Year
Of the St. Louis American
Katherine Anderson is a seasoned business veteran.
She and her late husband Reuben “Andy” Anderson founded Andy’s Seasoning in 1981.Twenty-five years later, Anderson has steered the company into expansion and increased employment. She and Andy’s are St. Louis success stories, catching the eyes of the mayor and food manufacturers across the nation.
Located at 2829 Chouteau, the firm’s 14,000-square-foot expansion of its warehouse and administrative offices led to Anderson receiving one of Mayor Francis G. Slay’s Spirit Awards, and she was honored at the Mayor’s Business Celebration luncheon.
Even before that honor was revealed, the St. Louis American Foundation had pegged Anderson as the 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year. She and the company will be recognized during the Salute to Excellence in Business Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Thursday Nov. 9 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel.
Joining the foundation in presenting the Salute to Business are the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Products from the multi-million-dollar company are available in Schnucks, Shop ‘N Save, Dierbergs, Food For Less and other small- to mid-size stores throughout Missouri. The unique taste of Andy’s Seasoning also is among the ingredients of two breading/batters for McDonald’s chicken nuggets in Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Anderson could have sold the company when her husband passed away, but that was not in her business plan.
They began by selling barbecue sauce and seasoning salt to local stores.
Reuben Anderson’s brother, German Anderson, first suggested that Katherine’s homemade fish breading should be on the market. In 1983, it was introduced and has been a consumer favorite ever since.
Anderson didn’t cut and run, and she says a major part of the company’s success is worker loyalty.
“I appreciate each and every employee; they hardly ever leave,” she told the American.
Anderson had stepped away from the business in 1989. When her husband died in 1996, she and her three sons faced a $2-million debt and possible foreclosure.
She went back to work at the company and enrolled in an entrepreneurial program at Saint Louis University in the evening.
Today, three of Anderson’s sons hold executive positions in the company. The Rev. Larry Lee is director of operations, Michael Lee is plant manager and Roy Lee is manager for information technology.
Over the years, the company has grown from six to 35 employees, three tractor tailors to 15 and a basement side-hustle to a 25,000-plus-square-ft. plant.
And Anderson is hinting that the company’s growth might soon continue.
“We’ve grown and we may need more land because we may expand more,” she says.
In addition to the company’s growth, Anderson’s firm is also helping the community. Andy’s shakes some support to groups and organizations including The United Way, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Gateway Classic Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Annie Malone Home for Children, the St. Louis Minority Business Council (SLMBC) and St. Louis Ambassadors.
