Michele Youngquist’s approach to leading the business at Mount Vernon, Wash.-based Bay Baby Produce centers around taking care of her customers and taking care of her employees.
Youngquist co-founded the company more than 20 years ago and still relishes the opportunity to keep a close watch on Bay Baby’s signature painted pumpkins and other items from seed to finished product.
“I’m able to see it all the way through the process so I know what I’m giving the customer and I feel good about what I’m giving the customer,” Youngquist said.
Scott Hallman, founder of advisory firm Business Growth Dynamics and mentor to Youngquist, has known her for more than a decade and described her as laser-focused on quality.
“She’s very hands-on yet she delegates really well, but it’s that element of making sure everything’s the way it’s supposed to be – I think that’s been a big part of her success,” Hallman said.
He praised Youngquist’s leadership of Bay Baby for not only the company’s innovative products but its notable expansion as well.
“I love the product, but what really has impressed me far more than the product is the ability to run and build and scale a business,” Hallman said. “So they’re probably six times, seven times larger than when I started working with them. It’s been significant growth.”
He said the Bay Baby team led by Youngquist is a staple on the trade show circuit and makes the most of every trip, building existing relationships and getting introductions and referrals as well.
Tim Floyd, salesman for Yakima, Wash.-based Fruit Packers Supply, calls Bay Baby one of his favorite accounts.
“They’re just incredible people and we just have had many good times together,” Floyd said. “She’s almost like family – great, great people to work with.”
Floyd described Youngquist as a leader that others want to follow.
“She’s such a good person, and I think people work extra hard when they know they’re working for somebody that cares about them and has a genuine interest in their success as well,” Floyd said.
Jennifer Pierce, sales and marketing for Bay Baby, also praised Youngquist for being caring and generous, taking opportunities big and small to let employees know she values them.
Youngquist said building an outstanding team, with a strong work ethic and people who care about each other, is one of her greatest accomplishments. Another milestone was the building in 2018 of a 50,000-square-foot packinghouse, a goal for Youngquist and her late business partner Liz Mitchell.
Like most entrepreneurs, Younquist has heard the word “no” more than her fair share of times, but she was always convinced of the value of her products.
“I saw the vision – I saw it,” Youngquist said. “They might not have seen it at the time, but I saw it.”
Over the years, many retailers that gave the products a chance liked the results they saw, which created opportunities for expansion into additional regions and with additional products, Hallman said. For Youngquist, quality is the key to it all.
“I like to see satisfied customers, so I really wanted to produce the best quality whatever I (am) growing to really have satisfied customers,” Youngquist said.
