October 8, 2009. In the past year, Thompson said, the challenge was preparing for the coming recession and being sure we did not have to lay off any team members and at the same time staffing up our new Hydration plant. We didnt hide. Cory is the project manager for all graphic and packaging design projects at Factory. So they started thinking about all the things that can go wrong, even when an entrepreneur has a great idea. The building is equipped for the production and packaging of powdered drinks, supplements and energy/protein bars. She works closely with the digital marketing team to create social media graphics, email newsletters, and digital advertisements for Factorys brand partners. We sold it to Del Monte in 2006. So far, the platform has 20 to 30 users, representing at least 10 . Factory specializes in scaling up businesses, according to the Kansas-born Thompson, who during his career led other food companies, including American Italian Pasta and Meow Mix. Rich Thompson, founder and managing partner of Factory LLC, recently started a plant to makes powdered drinks, protein bars and other consumable products. Has commercial pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine and instrument ratings. "He has also been in the oil and gas business in North Dakota, founded the American Italian Pasta Company ("the largest pasta company in North America") and bought and sold Meow Mix, earning himself a tidy sum. from Kutztown University. from Harvard, and holds an MBA from Northwesterns Kellogg School of Management. If you do a good job in empowering people to take ownership, you find that you get the best ideas from the people that do the work each and every day, Tierney said. She has a passion for words and people, and has woven together a career that has allowed her to work on marketing campaigns and public relations while always keeping the consumer top of mind. Don Cunningham, president and CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., said many small food companies face challenges of getting their products on store shelves. A look inside the Factory LLC, a new business incubator in south Bethlehem at a former Bethlehem Steel factory on Thursday, January 10, 2019. Founder Michael Tierney has been pioneering the proprietary process for a decade. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Rich Thompson is the President at MST Steel based in Warren, Michigan. She earned a B.A. Website Design by Klunk & Millan, This error message is only visible to WordPress admins. But even beyond that, this product has a beneficial impact to the environmental footprint.. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Andra holds an MBA from DeSales University. Amanda spent the past decade cooking her way across the country. It's not like YouTube or Facebook, where you don't know what you've got. Peter Polt, Executive Vice President at Petrucci, said the pandemic created challenges as the team worked through the uncertainty as to what qualified as an essential business (food processing ultimately was) and social distancing protocols. Trey is a graphic designer with experience in UI/UX, branding, and advertising. Tyler has seven years of merchandising experience in retail operations with Giant Food Stores, where he specialized in non-perishables and inventory control. Is that correct?Everything I own is for sale. Businesses recently named a series of hires in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Asad holds a bachelors degree in commerce with a major in accounting from the University of Mumbai, India. Stuffed Puffs opened a manufacturing facility in 2021 in the Lehigh Valley. My goal is to own the mindset of people who want to find and share information about pets and meet other pet lovers. Kyla brings over six years of experience in managing retail and e-commerce operations. That would not have happened without the innovation at Factory LLC. We wanted to provide quality manufacturing with innovation in both product and in packaging.. In her last role, she helped build and lead a new photography studio in PA for Henry Schein, a medical products company. What happened?When I was 32 I met Kristen, my future wife, in a Republic Airlines boarding line at Minneapolis Airport. Owns a 1981 Hawker 700. in Communications from Kutztown University and M.S. (Photo/Marco Calderon). The only way a shelter can win is to engage the media in a community-get the local paper and TV or radio stations to come do a story.We got more than 600,000 pet reviews and one million pet photos on Zootoo just doing that. 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Prior to joining Factory, Keith worked for eight years with Fortress Investment Group, where he was a portfolio manager responsible for the day-to-day operations of a real estate portfolio in the U.S. and Europe. The company is a an innovation center for new food and beverage companies located at 315 Columbia St. in Bethlehem, Pa. I changed this a couple of years ago when the FAA started tightening up. In other words, Factory helps get more product out and put that product in more places, which translates to higher sales and net income. Lead Manager. In renovated Bethlehem Steel mill, Richard, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), In renovated Bethlehem Steel mill, Richard Thompson launches Factory to grow companies with capital and acumen, What a green future could look like for the Lehigh Valley, Retail Watch: A (frozen) taste of New York comes to the Lehigh Valley for the first time, Boscovs says it will take leftover Bed Bath & Beyond coupons, A familiar name opens new coffee and sweets shop. Troy, NY Steel Krafts Building Materials and Supplies, Inc.. One result: Penn State Lehigh Valley has office space inside Factory (actually, like other occupants, its in a converted shipping container that has been painted red and customized) for the schools LaunchBox a business-accelerator program aimed at connecting early-stage entrepreneurs with advisers, funding and more. 3/19/2023 9:05 PM. @richquincy.thompson. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications! Tierney, then a 19-year-old college student, bantered with friends about why smores never looked like they do in commercials his problem was that the chocolate stayed hard but the marshmallow turned gooey. Our friendly and professional staff is at your service - 24/7. He rolled out Podium X in mid-February. But within a year after we got married, Kristen said, "You're hanging out at the hangar too much. Rich helped create over $3 billion in enterprise value as CEO of American Italian Pasta Company, The Meow Mix Company and Freshpet. Be careful what you spill! The other one is that we are certainly a big believer that hydration in powder form, whether its in sticks, bags or tubs, is the future because people cant afford to move plastic and heavy objects around this country with the price of fuel, the price of supply chain and with a clean carbon footprint.. Under the arrangement, Tierney is able to work on his business plan and continue to manufacture Mikeys products in two locations in Texas and Michigan. APRIL GAMIZ / THE MORNING CALL, Rich Thompson, Managing Partner, helped create over $3 billion in enterprise value as CEO of American Italian Pasta Company, The Meow Mix Company and Freshpet. Why did you buy a Hawker 700, a model that has been out of production since 1984?Because there's a big price difference between it and the Hawker 800. These arent startups: Honey Stinger traces its beginnings to 1954, according to its website. We decided that we wanted to build a couple of plants for a couple of brands that we have, said Thompson, who left as Freshpet CEO in 2016 to found Factory LLC. I didn't get a college degree, so I can't be a lawyer or a doctor. Contact. Marcy has more than twenty years experience in supply chain, manufacturing, and continuous improvement. I got my pilot's license in June 1967.You said you've had several piston airplanes, but you stopped flying. Read More . Six years ago, I bought this airplane. The facility includes blending machines for powder-based beverages, machines that can package the powder in individual, serving-size sticks or bulk containers, and a production line that can produce energy/protein bars in various shapes with short changeover times. It's very reliable. John has almost three decades of supply chain and logistics experience. In 2019, Thompson launched his own human resources solutions company, Xtra Point Group. The Lehigh Valley is an ideal location within driving distance of a third of the U.S. population. Oct 2018 - Present4 years 5 months. Yadira holds a degree in computer information technology with a concentration in application development from Northampton Community College and is currently in the process of earning a bachelors degree from Muhlenberg College. She believes every problem is an opportunity to identify a creative solution! Marcy manages our relationships with co-manufacturersfrequently traveling to be on-site for production runsand leads efforts to improve efficiencies, product quality and cost savings. PREVIOUS POSITIONS: CEO and president of The Meow Mix Company, which he bought with JW Childs Associates from Nestle/Purina for $167 million in 2002. In his previous role as a senior packaging engineer for Godiva Chocolatier, he created packaging for approximately 150 new SKUs annually and spearheaded a packaging standardization project that saved $2 million in materials costs year-over-year. in Philosophy from Dickinson College. A look inside the Factory LLC, a new business incubator in south Bethlehem at a former Bethlehem Steel factory on Thursday, January 10, 2019. Pat has a B.S. Asad has 17 years of professional accounting and finance experience in the manufacturing sector, including CPG. We've put in more than $8 million as startup capital.Do you plan to have advertising on the site?Yes, because we have a rich vertical [market] with pet lovers. Prior to Scala, Michael was the Director of IT at Neoware Systems, Inc., a publicly held company that was the leader in the thin client industry. Another run is being made for Honey Stinger, another Factory brand partner that makes performance chews, energy waffles and protein bars. But, on top of that, he said, the project itself was ground-breaking. The project reflects Lehigh Valleys continuing growth in food and beverage manufacturing, including Bowery Farming, the largest vertical farm in the nation, is expanding into Bethlehem. He takes the drivers seat, and he has the resources available at your fingertips.. Other recent hires include Cresa, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach and Girls on the R[]. 1980 Jim Thompson Factory. Its the reason he recently launched Factory, a gleaming, 40,000-square-foot business laboratory of sorts at the Bethlehem Steel Corp. building 96, a former mill that churned out steel during World War II. All rights reserved. He started another business Mikeys gluten-, Investor Richard Thompson of the Factory (left) and Stuffed Puffs CEO Michael Tierney (right) worked together to scale up Stuffed Puffs into a national brand and recently opened a second facility in Hanover Township, Northampton County. "I owned 100 acres on Caye Caulker. You can stay off the golf course and pay attention to your businesses. Jim earned his bachelors degree in packaging engineering from Michigan State University. He earned his B.F.A. See Photos. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Monitor your investments 24 hours a day, around the clock from around the globe. Over the past 10 years she has contributed to a variety of creative teams- developing, designing, and coordinating the production of home goods, largely in the kitchen category. Shes a versatile photographer who can bring brands to life for ecommerce and social media. CEO Files Rsum: Richard Thompson POSITION: Founder of Zootoo.com and CEO of GO7Brands. He's also an unabashed proponent of business aviation. "I build companies," Thompson said during a recent tour of the 40-foot-tall facility that opened in December. The person who helped bring Stuffed Puffs and Freshpet to manufacture their products in the Lehigh Valley is starting another food and beverage operation in the area. What makes Factory MF stand out is that every aspect of design was meticulously thought through and non-conventionally engineered to reach the safety, quality, and operational thresholds needed as a flexible and expanding powder and bar manufacturing facility, said Kevin Brown, operations and maintenance manager. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Just as Freshpet capitalized on devoted pet owners who want refrigerated, fresh food for their cats and dogs, Thompson is looking to do the same for other niche food and beverage companies whose products draw consumers seeking unique products. The first production line made single-serve packets of powder for ROAR, a beverage company growing through Factory LLC. Designed around patented machinery and collaborative space, the project team also had to account for safety protocols such as no touch doors, digital thermometers and nursing station at the front entrance. During his tenure at Neoware, Michael successfully led global ERP and CRM implementations, directed the construction of the SaaS product line, developed numerous internal systems, and initiated many other major business process improvements. Factorys in-house staff, in turn, provides services such as marketing, social media, product display and kitchen-testing of new products duties that Thompson said Mikeys would have to do itself or outsource. Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Small Cap Fund - Class Z. We didnt go away. Richard Thompson has led three emerging companies to exits valued at $3 billion American Italian Pasta Company (which in 15 years grew from a start-up to the second largest pasta manufacturer in the world), Meow Mix and Freshpet. Jessica brings with her years of HR leadership experience in the manufacturing and hospitality fields. Barbara has diverse experience in consumer insights, business development sales, event planning, and digital marketing. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. She earned a B.A. The region has a particularly strong presence of food, beverage and pet food manufacturers including Just Born, Ocean Spray, Freshpet, and Coca Cola. Phone: 610-266-6775 Fax: 610-266-7623 Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We're doing some projects in New York. Your typical pet shelter is on a highway somewhere, away from other parts of the community. Accomplished manufacturing entrepreneur Rich Thompson and his team of seasoned pros have spent the last five years luring innovative food, beverage and pet food (Think Freshpet) companies to the Lehigh Valley and helping them to scale up at a business innovation center named Factory LLC in south Bethlehem. So we certainly feel that having a hydration plant on the East Coast gives us a big advantage at least for the retailers up and down the East Coast., Thompson said the Valley was a natural place for such a venture because you can reach 40% of the U.S. population within eight hours. But Thompson said he likes crazy ideas. View the profiles of people named Judith Thompson. Nicolette is an experienced commercial photographer and editor who uses her editing and retouching skills to make our brand partners products shine in every piece of content our studio produces. Probably. Prior to joining Factory, she spent time interning for a local Lehigh Valley CPG startup before moving on to a business development role at Oracle. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Rich Thompson played for the Indianapolis Indians in 2005 and 2006. Before joining Factory, Christoph worked at Emil Capital Partners, a consumer-orientated venture capital and growth equity firm based in Greenwich, CT. At Emil, Christoph focused on managing the firms current investments as well as sourcing new deals.
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