President Bush visits Nashville Chi O Alumna

[NutBrnHair]

Cordia Harrington is a Chi Omega (Psi Chapter) and CEO of the Nashville Bun Co. She was the guest speaker at Chi Omega Firesides 2005.


This from Forbes...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - President Bush used a visit to Nashville Thursday to give a nod to small businesses by touring a plant that makes sandwich buns and then to speak about his federal budget priorities.

Bush arrived in the city on Air Force One at about 10:30 a.m. and after honoring a local volunteer went directly to Nashville Bun Co.

Workers at the business had spent several days sprucing up and preparing for Bush's visit.

"We spent hours walking through the bakery and plotting how the visit would flow," CEO Cordia Harrington said the day before Bush arrived. "We usually think we're pretty good at drop-in company, but this is definitely short notice."

Harrington, who is also known as "The Bun Lady," said the White House told her Friday the president would like to tour the company, which bakes 28 million dozen buns a year. The 95 employees at Nashville Bun Co. supply McDonald's with enough hamburger buns to feed most of the Southeast and the Caribbean.

Apart from McDonald's - the company's top customer, for which it also makes the English muffins for Egg McMuffins - the company and its sister, Tennessee Bun Co., bake for Chili's, KFC, Pepperidge Farm and O'Charley's.

Even with the Republican president visiting Thursday, Harrington is reluctant to classify herself politically.

"If I had to generalize it, I'd say I'm Republican," she said. "But I like to look at the individual."

Harrington has donated money to politicians of both parties, including Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.(also a Chi Omega!!!), Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., 2002 Democratic U.S. House candidate Gayle Ray from Tennessee, 2006 Republican House candidate Bentley Brooks Rayburn from Colorado and the National Republican Congressional Committee, federal fundraising reports show.