How This Woman Leader Guided the Killer Brownie Company to Become No. 1 in its Category Nationwide

The buzz was inescapable from the moment the Mayne family introduced the new brownie to their bakery lineup at Dorothy Lane Market in the late 1980s. The product, a decadent delight with a unique flavor profile, moist consistency, and indulgent size, took no time in becoming a cult favorite in the market’s hometown of Dayton, Ohio, helped along by a catchy name, The Killer Brownie, which Norman Mayne, Dorothy Lane Market’s CEO, soon went on to trademark.

Beyond what other people thought about it, says Mayne’s daughter, Chimene Mayne Ross, “we couldn’t escape the evidence of our own taste buds; it was obvious with every bite that we had a winner here that deserved a spotlight all its own.” Ultimately, Ross herself would come aboard to give the Killer Brownie the attention it deserved, helming a brownie-centric effort that, as of press time today, finds it available in 1500 in-store bakeries and food service operations coast to coast. Since 2013, when Ross came onboard, The Killer Brownie Co. (now a separate entity, though still owned by the Mayne family) has grown 500%; last year alone, sales have doubled. All numbers are self-reported.

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