Jeno: The Power of the Peddler Tapa dura - 2006

Jeno Francesco Paulucci is larger than life. He is one of those rare individuals who seem to dominate a room just by walking in the door. Whether involved in business, politics, or social activism, he is the master of the moment without even raising his voice --though Jeno can do that too.

Over many years, Jeno has used his strength of character and power of persuasion not only to gain great wealth for his family, but also to change the lives of the less fortunate, from handicapped people and ex-convicts who needed a job to Native Americans living on their bleak reservations.

Jeno knows what it means to be disadvantaged. Born in poverty on the Iron Range of northern Minnesota, he suffered and stood up to ethnic discrimination. With his steely resolve and rollicking sense of humor, he became in turn . . .

• The funniest and most successful street barker the old town of Duluth had ever known
• A hard-living traveling salesman so skillful that he made more money than the president of the company
• The builder of several empires in the foods business, with famous brand names like Chun King Chinese foods, Jeno's Pizza Rolls, Michelina's Frozen Entrees, and others
• A legendary pioneer in unconventional, humorous advertising that stirred a revolution on Madison Avenue
• A major influence in local, state, and national politics, whose voice of good sense has to be heard whether you agree with him or not
• An advisor to almost every president since Eisenhower

Along the way, he never hesitated to take business risks that would scare the pants off less adventurous entrepreneurs . . . or to spit in the eye of the elite who opposed him . . . or to reach out his strong arm to lift up the downtrodden.

Now in his late eighties, Jeno continues to direct his wide-ranging business, social, and political enterprises--still working seven days a week with boundless energy. He shrugs off the many honors that have come to him over the years, saying, "To hell with all that. I'm just a peddler from the Iron Range."