He spoke more like a visionary than an entrepreneur. Focused on continuous improvement projects, she boosted efficiencies by incorporating descriptive and real-time analytics into business intelligence tools, which resulted in significant cost savings. Here, youre not hiring anybody, Thompson said. Look no further than Thompson/Center's new Compass bolt-action rifle for proof. About 75 million households have pets. He spent a decade in the kitchens of area country clubs before joining Kutztown University to oversee dining and then making his way to Factory. Asad holds a bachelors degree in commerce with a major in accounting from the University of Mumbai, India. CEO Files Rsum: Richard Thompson POSITION: Founder of Zootoo.com and CEO of GO7Brands. Nicole worked in product photography for several years, first at Saks Fifth Avenue and then at Cigars International, before joining Factory. I don't have the time, but I'm trying to find the time.Any advice for business jet passengers?I have one rule for my pilots: We don't have to be anywhere at any given time. Mikeys and Stuffed Puffs brands were among the Factorys early investments. All rights reserved. Shes worked in food trucks in North Carolina, baked pastries in Colorado, and cooked up dinners at the Grand Canyon. I didn't get a college degree, so I can't be a lawyer or a doctor. Among its success stories is Stuffed Puffs, which makes chocolate- and caramel-infused marshmallows. rich plums and chocolates. Petrucci Co.s Triple Net Investments. We continue to see strong interest from manufacturers who want to take advantage of the regions location and talent.. free, frozen food to subsidize his marshmallow passion. She holds a B.A. He moved to Lehigh Valley to build the business with an investment from Factory and Richard Thompson. 2007 Jim Thompson Europe. One of them is Honey Stinger, which is getting into the hydration business, and Roar. But Thompson said he likes crazy ideas. Directory of Profiled Business People: Rich Thompson Thompson, Andie - Thony, Steve > Thompson, Reuben - Thompson, Rosario > Thompson, Rich - Thompson, Richard > Thompson, Rich 1-25 of 1,583 Contacts Homes in Southampton, N.Y.; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Los Cabos, Mexico. ifsi virtual learning. I'm sitting in meetings, listening to people and giving feedback. Richard H Thompson Ltd Malvern College Richard Thompson Co-Owner/President at Steel Krafts Building Materials and Supplies, Inc. While at Penn State, he also worked for Happy Valley Vineyard and Winery, where he was tasked with adding potassium metabisulfite to wine, tested the wine for hydrogen sulfide, and performed backsweetening, a process of adding sugar to wine before bottling. Official MapQuest website, find driving directions, maps, live traffic updates and road conditions. Their goal was to partner with a select group of highly ambitious founders/entrepreneurs to help small businesses quickly become big brands. So many CEOs don't listen and think they know the answer and tell people what to do when they don't really know the problem.How do you get past your core team?You just go talk to people, have lunch with them. I build companies, Thompson said during a recent tour of the 40-foot-tall facility that opened in December. Los Angeles Angels reassigned RHP Rich Thompson to the minor leagues. I'm not [planning to sell the 700] until I find something to replace it. A Lehigh Valley native, she has the primary responsibility for the appearance and sanitation of the Factory facility. Marla is a strong leader and problem solver with deep operational, financial, and managerial experience in the food industry. It is making powdered beverages for Roar, a sports drink company, and for Honey Stinger, which specializes in performance chews, energy waffles and protein bars. Erin has worked on better-for-you CPG brands for over 15 years. Shannon holds a B.A. [They wonder], "Why are you having lunch with them?" . We took all the precautions. Cory is the project manager for all graphic and packaging design projects at Factory. Prior to joining Factory full-time, Megan served as an intern with the social media and digital marketing team. He's now the CEO of GO7Brands (pronounced "gee-oh-seven"), a consulting and financing firm that assists packaged-goods-focused companies; and the founder and largest shareholder of Zootoo.com, a Web site that he hopes will become as indispensable for pet lovers as Google is for Web searches.As Thompson demonstrates, entrepreneurs tend to approach management a bit differently than the classic corporate CEO. Serving foodservice, in-store bakery, retail, and industrial markets. For the price point $399 MSRP there are few other rifles that are as feature rich. Grand View Health opens new Emergency Department, Bethlehem venture capital firm gets $2.5M to invest in start-ups, Orthopedic device maker Tyber Medical expands Florida facility, East Stroudsburg holds inauguration of 14th president, Other recent hires in the the Lehigh Valley include Altitude Marketing, KidsPeace Foundation and Com[], Mayor Matt Tuerk announced this week that he has named Lucinda Wright to the newly created position.[]. Thompson announced the project in September 2017, after he left Freshpet, buying the mill at 315 Columbia St. for $1.87 million. I got her upgraded to sit in first class next to me. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. About five years ago, he attended an expo where he met Thompson, the retired Freshpet CEO who would soon launch the Factory in south Bethlehem. Previously owned a Cessna P210. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. They chat over free healthy snacks at the two company cafes or a game of ping pong. The $65 million facility, which is Phase I, houses highly customized lines that can produce up to $500 million a year in marshmallow products and promotes a collaborative culture among a workforce of 150 machine operators, engineers, quality inspectors and other team members. 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. There will be a lot of innovation and new flavors coming out because of this facility.. Barbara has diverse experience in consumer insights, business development sales, event planning, and digital marketing. But within a year after we got married, Kristen said, "You're hanging out at the hangar too much. Here's a list of some of the top trending technologies and APIs used by Factory Motor Parts. On one of our first dates, I flew her in my [Cessna] P210 from Denver to Santa Fe to meet my mom. Founder Rich Thompson considered multiple locations around the country, but ultimately decided there was a particular need for a facility like this on the East Coast. A former CEO of Freshpet, Thompson had helped lead the move of Freshpet into Lehigh Valley in a production facility just across the street from where Factory Manufacturing LLC is now in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park IV. But when most start-ups get done hiring teams, funding infrastructure and cost-of-goods, and squirreling away working capital, there is often not much left to build the brand, support distribution and drive velocity. It also cuts down on plastics because customers can pour the powder into their re-usable bottles, reducing the need for single-use plastics. Chad received his undergraduate degree from Bloomsburg University and his MBA from Moravian College. Drummer. Richard Thompson is an enthusiastic self-proclaimed entrepreneur. He chose the Lehigh Valley as the best . While in college, he was president of the Moravian chapter of the Kappa Pi International Art Honor Society and of Studio South, Moravians student-run design agency. SUMMARY Career WAR 0.9 W 3 L 4 ERA 4.21 G 82 GS 0 SV 0 IP 104.2 SO 105 WHIP 1.357 Rich Thompson Overview But Pleasant Valley turned over records for Idaho case, which was started five years ago in south Bethlehem, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Jim has a deep knowledge of all things packaging: development, commercialization, materials, sustainability, and production efficiency. Health Care Trends & Updates Virtual Discussion, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. She spent the 20 years as facilities and space planning manager at Rodale Inc., where her responsibilities included property management, employee and vendor relations, space planning, and operations support. 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. Tim Pollak was CEO of a top-20 global ad agency and vice chairman of two top-5 agencies, Y&R and Dentsu. We have good transportation facilities and lower cost of living, Thompson said. Clinician. Her high standards, attention to detail and always-upbeat attitude are valued by everyone on the Factory team. 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. Theres a lot of money available to entrepreneurs, and a lot of people willing to give or sell them advice. Always have the best team members possible to build your business and give them the tools/training to do it!, Thomas Williams, CFP, CPA CEO, Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor Domani Wealth As a senior wealth adviso[], Jeane Vidoni President and CEO Penn Community Bank As president and CEO of Penn Community Bank, Vidoni l[]. It was at capacity in six months. With my crew of eight, we went to 20 cities in two weeks in our Hawker. Owns a 1981 Hawker 700. Analee has almost three decades of quality assurance experience, specializing in food safety and regulatory compliance, third-party auditing requirements, and certification body bylaws. We sold it to Del Monte in 2006. She earned a B.A. 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. She now uses her marketing degree from Penn State University and analytical skills to conduct market and consumer research for our brand partners, including fielding taste tests in our on-site consumer insights lab. You can stay off the golf course and pay attention to your businesses. Overall, he's stolen 442 bases in the minors. Our friendly and professional staff is at your service - 24/7. - Rich Thompson, Managing Partner. rich thompson factory. Team members write meeting notes on the glass office walls and white board partitions between desks. Women of Influence identifies high-achieving women for their tremendous career accomplishments. Therefore, the community knows where to go to adopt a pet, which brings the shelter and the community together.How did you do that?When you open the [Zootoo] site the first time, it asks for your ZIP code, shows you the shelters near you and asks you to select one-or you can enter the name of any shelter you'd like. From manufacturing operations to distribution systems, Freshpet had to create the process through trial and error, and Thompson decided to help Tierney do the same. The 165,000-square-foot Stuffed Puffs facility opened in January at the site of the former Guardian Life offices in Hanover Township, Northampton County. The building parallels East Third Street and is across the street from the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Workers Memorial 32nd Anniversary ceremony | PHOTOS, Baby alligator found at Allentown wastewater treatment plant, Bryan Kohbergers former school district wont talk. Most recently, she worked as a content manager at Lafayette College, helping to tell the stories of a legacy institution in the Lehigh Valley. Previously, Richard was a Chief Executive Officer and Top Catat Zootoo and also held positions at Freshpet, The Meow Mix, Google, American Italian Pasta. 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. Linsey is a Certified Research Chef (CRC) with 12 years experience working in innovation and new product development for food companies, with a focus on the natural, organic, and free-from spaces. Well be looking for some more operators, for sure.. Jessica is a SHRM certified professional and holds a bachelors degree in Business Administration and minor in HR Management from Bloomsburg University. July 11, 2009. Local officials, economic development representatives and others are excited about Thompsons project. I don't want to force us into any weather or conditions that are not good to be in.Do you have your own flight department?No. We made a few dollars. Chad has over 13 years of CPG experience between Nestl USA and Mars Wrigley, including seven years of progressive responsibility in demand planning. 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. By the time Thompson left his post as CEO in 2016, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. With an economic output of $8.4 billion, manufacturing was the biggest contributor to the Lehigh Valley metro regions GDP in 2021 and employs more than 36,000 people in Lehigh and Northampton counties, making products ranging from Crayola crayons, Mack Trucks and Stuffed Puffs. She enjoys digging into the data that our brand partners rely on to set their marketing strategies. Richard was a big part of it, said Tierney, whose companys frozen baked goods, pizza pockets and more are sold online and at supermarkets, including several locally. Michaels entrepreneurship combined with Richard Thompson and Factorys innovation center for food and beverage has created the latest Lehigh Valley-made product to land on the nations supermarket shelves.. We didnt go away. With his wealth of experience, and as founder and managing partner at Factory LLC, Thompson leads a one-of-a-kind investment company that, in addition to capital, provides strategic guidance to. When you get something with a stand-up bathroom, I'll fly with you again." Self Employed Entreprenur at Aibs Empire Global. But fractionals are not cheap for what you get. The idea for the company started about a dozen years ago while Tierney was sitting around a campfire with friends on summer break. Monroe County-based Weiler Abrasives has chosen Arjang AJ Roshan-Rouz as the next CEO. Lead Manager. Monitor your investments 24 hours a day, around the clock from around the globe. These cookies do not store any personal information. Ben earned his bachelors degree in business administration from Susquehanna University. Thompson said hydration and powdered drinks are a growing industry as environmentally conscious people cut back on using plastic in favor of reusable bottles. Most recently, she was the director of manufacturing for Godiva Chocolatier, where she oversaw all aspects of manufacturing and packaging operations. Probably. Has commercial pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine and instrument ratings. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. We did [at least] two cities every day. His job responsibilities include managing the Factory team and investments across 12 companies and two manufacturing plants. With CPG start-ups, one home run can be a lifetime achievement. Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Small Cap Fund - Class M. This guy, Krajsa said of Thompson, knows what he is doing, and he moves at lightning speed.. ft. facility that works with companies to build value. She earned a B.A. Her personal work ranges from photojournalism to abstract art. 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. Petrucci Co., was among the 5.2 million square feet of industrial space delivered so far this year in Lehigh and Northampton counties. All his business life, Richard Thompson worked at starting or growing companies and other ventures, raising capital for them, and even making mistakes along the way. Contact. Were talking to some fairly big contractors and theres not a lot of hydration plants on the East Coast, he said. Shes a versatile photographer who can bring brands to life for ecommerce and social media. Brian has a BA in Marketing from San Diego State University. The top 20 point-earning shelters received prize money [though only one got the million-dollar makeover]. You buy low and sell high. Most recently, she was senior vice president and controller for the U.S. division of the Hain Celestial Group, where her responsibilities included integrating the back office functions of acquired businesses. She said Factory also applied for consideration under Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance, a tax-abatement program that would mean a cut in property taxes of roughly 50 percent during the next 10 years, if there is an increase in assessment. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Copyright 2023 Factory, LLC | All Rights Reserved. That sector made up about 18% of the Valleys private sector output, while the national average for manufacturing was 12%. October 16, 2009. She graduated from DeSales University with a double major in finance and business administration. Aeoon Technologies GmbH. Is Zootoo internally funded?Yes, by me and my partners.