KANSAS CITY — At Piantedosi Baking, doing the right thing is a mantra that’s been passed down from generation to generation.

“We view it in terms of quality, compliance, safety and pricing,” said Carmine Piantedosi, director of production planning and distribution operations, at the Malden, Mass.-based bakery. “At the end of the day, we want to put our best foot forward and do things the right way, and that’s how the company operates.”

So many bakers lament the loss of institutional knowledge when their longtime employees retire. To ensure that doesn’t happen, the fourth generation at the bakery received mentoring from their predecessors when they were learning the business.

“Many of them have been with us for 30 or 40 years,” noted Arthur Piantedosi, director of business process and operational compliance, in Baking & Snack’s May issue. “There’s a ton of information that they can share with us, and we can pull from them.”

At around age 11, Arthur and his brother, Carmine, spent their summers in the bakery, learning about production, maintenance, sanitation, R&D and distribution before attending college. Their cousin Adam Piantedosi, director of business development and retail sales, spent three years rotating through production, finance and sales, while Jared Piantedosi, marketing media specialist, joined most recently in 2023. Today, Thomas Piantedosi, Adam’s father, is chief executive officer, while his brother, Bob Piantedosi, senior vice president of operations, is Arthur’s and Carmine’s dad. Joseph Piantedosi, executive vice president of marketing and business development, is Jared’s father.

A successful succession starts with passing on knowledge to the next generation, not just handing over the keys to the family business.