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Steve Collins Named VP of Operations

We are pleased to announce that Steve Collins has been named Vice President of Operations for Freshway Foods. In his new role, Steve will lead daily operations at our production and distribution facility in Sidney, Ohio. Steve is replacing Larry Schultz, who will be retiring in early 2016.

Steve joined Freshway Foods in 2014 as Project Manager. In that role, he championed strategic projects, including implementation of the Red Zone Continuous Improvement Progam. Our company president, Devon Beer says, “Steve is a very strategic- and process-oriented leader and a great developer of people.”

Steve has worked hand-in-hand with Larry Schultz over the past year to prepare for this transition. “We have been executing this leadership conversion for a year now to ensure a seamless transition for our customers,” says Devon. “Steve is committed to our values, mission and vision and is well-prepared for this new role,” he adds. “Our customers can expect the same level of commitment to deliver great products and services.”

Larry Schultz led Freshway’s operations for over a decade. “Under Larry’s leadership, our operations team has successfully integrated hundreds of additional SKU offerings and incorporated the latest technology to improve food safety and operational efficiency,” says Devon. “This has allowed us to be very nimble in meeting the changing needs of our customers,” he adds. Larry will continue to work on strategic projects for Freshway until he retires in early 2016.

Please join us in welcoming Steve to his new role!

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Meet Our New Engineer: Liz Horton

Meet our new Process Engineer: Liz Horton.

Liz originally joined Freshway in May 2015 as an engineering intern. Upon completion of her internship, she joined Team Freshway as a process engineer. Liz is focused on improving our production processes, so that we can grow and expand efficiently.

“Freshway is a growing company, and we are updating our processes so that we can accommodate more volume in our production facility,” she says about her new position. “I am working on ways to organize the work that our team does every day, in order to improve flow and throughput.”

Liz says that every day is different in her new role. She may spend one day working on new processes, and the next day observing how those processes work on the production line, so that she can make adjustments.

She also enjoys the working environment at Freshway. “Lots of companies say they are family-oriented, but at Freshway, it’s really true,” she says. “Everyone here is friendly, and I look forward to seeing everyone every day,” she adds.

Liz credits her education at The Ohio State University for preparing her for success. “Of course I use the knowledge I gained in my engineering classes, but more importantly, I learned how to pick out the important details in a situation,” she says. “I didn’t just learn engineering principles at Ohio State – I learned a thought process that I will utilize throughout my career,” she adds.

We asked Steve Collins, Liz’s manager, to tell us about her contribution to Freshway. “Liz is a great addition to our team,” he says. “She is very energetic, and has had a positive influence on our management team,” he adds.

Liz has really hit the ground running. “She has already made a positive impact in our processing, retail and shipping departments,” says Steve Collins. “Now she is focusing on our Red Zone Continuous Improvement Program, and we are excited about her future contribution to Team Freshway.”

Liz is happy to be part of the team. “I love what I do,” she says. “It is really interesting, and I feel blessed and lucky to be able to work here and be part of this team.” She adds, “I’m really excited to see how Freshway will grow and how I will be a part of that.”

We are very happy to welcome Liz to Team Freshway!