Professional Award in Chemical Engineering presented to LaTres Jarrett

LaTres Jarrett was presented with the 2018 Professional Award in Chemical Engineering during the annual Speed School homecoming dinner held October 26 at the Brown Hotel.

Jarrett is a seasoned business leader with twenty years of experience in Business Management, Brand Marketing, Innovation and Customer Marketing.

After a successful career as a Process Engineer in the pharmaceutical industry, LaTres transitioned into a marketing career within the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. At PepsiCo, LaTres served as a steward for such brands as Gatorade, Cap’n Crunch, Dole, Rice-a-Roni, and Sierra Mist and Pepsi. She combined the critical thinking skills and analytic prowess of an engineer with a keen ability to translate consumer insights into brand strategies.

She was recruited by CSM Bakery Solutions in 2007 to start a licensing division, brokering partnerships with Hershey, Cinnabon, Oreo and Welch’s. Within 2 years, LaTres and her team of Product managers had launched a fresh bakery portfolio generating $25MM in annual sales. Her visionary and energetic leadership style caught the attention of a Bridgestone Executive who was rebuilding a Commercial Marketing team. LaTres has brought a general management approach to this business, setting brand strategies that drive product architecture, pricing decisions, distribution plans and promotional plans.

Over the course of her career, LaTres has taken great pride in developing and promoting organizational talent and has led several recruiting initiatives and mentoring programs. She was hand-selected to co-author a Diversity & Inclusion initiative at Bridgestone and currently leads the Professional Development committee for Bridgestone Women’s Initiative Network.

LaTres holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a Masters of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from The University of Louisville.

She is married and enjoys international travel and live music with friends and family. With a passion for community service, LaTres is an active board member at End Slavery Tennessee, supporting survivors of sex trafficking throughout the state. In addition, she offers real-time help for blind or visually impaired individuals on BeMyEyes app.