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Julie Smolyansky President & CEO, Lifeway Foods

Julie Smolyansky has been president, CEO and director of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ: LWAY) and the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm in history since June 2002. She has vivid memories of being an early “guinea pig” for the kefir business founded by her father in 1986, whether sampling new flavors and formulations, or traveling to food shows to help her father build Lifeway into the only U.S. company ever taken public by a Russian immigrant. Since taking the helm, Julie has continued that growth trajectory with creative product development and marketing, bringing a Russian product into the U.S. mainstream and boosting annual company revenues to $65 million by 2011. Those achievements have led to her recognition as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ 40 under 40 in 2005, a finalist for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010, and a Crain’s feature story as the driving force behind one of Chicago’s fastest growing companies.
High-profile philanthropic initiatives have included participating in model/activist Christy Turlington Burns’ Every Mother Counts campaign to increase education and support for maternal and child health. At Julie’s direction, Lifeway began donating a portion of each purchase of specially marked bottles of Low Fat Blueberry Kefir to Every Mother Counts in mid-2011. Julie’s success is the result of good genes and solid training. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago (B.A., 1996), where she studied the effects of advertising and cultural influences on consumer dieting behavior. She has presented research at the American Psychological Association’s Annual Meeting (1996), and has been a speaker at Nutracon’s annual Anti-Aging Nutraceutical Conference, ChicWIT women’s networking group, the Nutrition Biz Journal Conference, Summit Series, the Global Dairy Congress, and the University of Illinois at Chicago Honors College. Julie serves on the board of directors for the Anti-Defamation League, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (a division of Jewish United Fund), and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. She is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, The Chicago Club, Young Presidents Organization, The Committee of 200, The Chicago Network and TED, and serves on the board for the International Probiotics Association. Julie lives in Chicago and is the mother of two who is never without crayons, baby wipes or her iPhone. She is also an avid marathoner, Pearl Jam devotee (she has been to 15 shows in multiple states), reader, and user of lavender sea salt body scrub for relaxation.

Edward Smolyansky

Chief Financial Officer of Lifeway Foods

Edward Smolyansky has served as the Controller of the Company since June 2002 and acted as an executive assistant to his father, Lifeway's founder, former President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Smolyansky since being receiving his baccalaureate degree in finance from Loyola University of Chicago in December 2001. Edward Smolyansky is the brother of Company President and Chief Executive Officer Julie Smolyansky and the son of Lifeway's Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Ludmila Smolyansky. Edward Smolyansky will now serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the newly acquired Fresh Made.

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Julie Smolyansky

President & CEO, Lifeway Foods

Edward Smolyansky

Chief Financial Officer of Lifeway Foods