New facility a base for Cleveland Growers' expanded services
New facility a base for Cleveland Growers' expanded services
A new, state-of-the-art, 100,000-square-foot warehouse is great for operations. But Cleveland Growers Marketing Co. in Cleveland has used such a facility to launch a wide array of customer services to expand its business.
Ed Tousel, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Cleveland Growers, said that his company hired Ken Carnevale as director of business development to institute the firm?s expanded services.
Mr. Carnevale, who joined the company in December, is a 35-year veteran of the produce industry who most recently served as vice president of produce and floral for Tops Markets in Buffalo, NY.
?In addition to supplying a full line of produce, I operate a retail-service division, which is my main responsibility," Mr. Carnevale said. "We want to be the produce solution for our customers. This includes opening up a brand-new produce department for our retail customers, handling everything from design to fixtures and equipment, remodeling and setting up for the grand opening. Once they are open, we help them run their business.
?This is a produce solution," Mr. Carnevale said of his services. "It's not like five or 10 years ago when there were a lot of merchandisers and buyers out there. This really helps retailers with expertise they may not be able to afford or have in a small chain to help with the produce operation."
Mr. Carnevale said that Cleveland Growers offers customers "assistance in profit and shrink management and weekly planograms, if they want. We?re in the position with our retail services to really make a move on our customers."
Currently, the retail service division is staffed by 10 professionals.
Cleveland Growers? produce and floral services include dedicated field merchandisers, retail pricing assistance, retail operations assistance, seminars for produce managers, seasonal and ad planning, department layout assistance and store personnel training. Other services include weekly order guides and a weekly merchandising newsletter.
Cleveland Growers uses its new facility to pack customized private labels and is a certified Sunkist repacker. The company does customized retail fruit and vegetable repacking, foodservice repacking, and offers a full line of standard, gourmet and organic items, and customized gift baskets. The firm offers mail-order shipping and a full line of candy and nut bowls.
Describing the company, which was founded in 1927, and its new warehouse, Mr. Tousel said, "We are one of the few grower-owned companies in the country that has grown and stayed in business. This business is for-profit and totally grower-owned. It was a nice gesture of support for the owners to invest in a 100,000-square-foot building with every inch refrigerated. "The building is designed for food safety foremost, and for the company to expand and grow, with a real commitment to the best quality produce available," he added. "We maintain the cold chain for our product as it goes in and out. I was told a long time ago, "Once you?ve harvested something, it's dying." The best we can do is to handle it in proper temperatures and get it to the end user as soon as possible."
The refrigeration through the building uses an ammonia-based system, which has modern safety features. Ammonia is "more expensive initially but it gives overall better quality product. So far we?re very happy with it," Mr. Tousel said.
In its warehouse, which opened in March 2004, the company installed a style of hydraulic dock leveler that is easy to clean and has no pits for rodents or trash to enter. The entire interior of the building is galvanized steel so no paint is used, thus eliminating the possibility of paint chips and any food safety negatives that might be associated with them.
Other food safety features are a sophisticated drain system with clean-outs and pressure washers located every 50 feet in the warehouse to easily clean the facility and the trucks serving it.
The facility has CSX priority track rail service running straight into the refrigerated unloading space within the warehouse. "Train access, with the trucking crush, will be very important in the future," Mr. Tousel said.
For some larger customers, Cleveland Growers receives their rail purchases. "We take care of the hassles, make the deliveries and we can still be cheaper than they would have paid by truck," said Mr. Tousel.
A new "Pallet Fridge? brand banana, fruit and tomato ripening system is part of the warehouse, offering ripening temperatures ranging from 35 to 65 degrees.
Mr. Tousel said that the new facility includes a security system with thumbprint scanning to gain entry to the building. Thumbprints are required for "employees and anyone else we let in." The building also has full security camera coverage, inside and out.
Mr. Tousel said that the 25,000-square-foot repacking facilities help retail customers who "don?t have labor in their stores like they need."
Cleveland Growers? warehouse also has a fully integrated composting system that prepares waste to be composted at an offsite facility. The setup is environmentally friendly while allowing the company to keep its facility "as clean and neat as possible."
?We have a backup generator in operation 365 days a year, so we can operate whether there is [outside] power or not," said Mr. Tousel. "We did our homework on putting that together."
The building features a humidity-control system for all refrigeration. The company has a fleet of new or nearly new Kenworth trucks to assure top refrigerated over-the-road service, and it operates straight trucks for local delivery.
Cleveland Growers employs as many as 150 people at a time and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
?Years ago we were a wholesaler," Mr. Tousel said. "As we have grown, we are a full-service distribution center."
Cleveland Growers has a floral program and a "full holiday fruit and nut basket program that is second to none. We also have a full foodservice division that handles most of the big foodservice companies in the area. Now we deliver into eight different states."
The company maintains a wholesale division in the Northern Ohio Food Terminal.
But, Mr. Tousel added, "We?re way beyond a wholesaler. My guess is what we?re probably fighting it as an image [as simply being a wholesaler]."
Key points in overcoming that image are Mr. Carnevale?s 35 years of experience, and "I have four or five other guys who work with Ken with the same experience. We?re overloaded with retail background," said Mr. Tousel, who also has a background in the retail business.
In each major market there may be one or two companies that offer retail service programs like that of Cleveland Growers. But, Mr. Tousel added, "I don?t know that any of them offer the background, retailwise, that we do."
As Mr. Carnevale has launched his retail services division, "some customers have welcomed the help immediately." Those with new produce departments have been especially receptive, he added. In Cleveland Growers? marketing area, there are "small chains that are not staffed with a full-blown produce office like where I came from. They welcome our experience."
Mr. Tousel added, "We have an extensive buying staff that supports Ken?s operation. There can be a small chain where one guy buys the produce, loads it and unloads the truck. We can have quite a few people in there helping him. It's hard to find such help, especially to find someone with Ken?s background. I think our retail services are really needed out there."
With the high competitive level caused by consolidation in the retail food business, and the related need to cut costs, "the first thing they cut is labor. There are guys in charge of divisions with no one else there. They have warehouse people but it's not like five or 10 years ago when a chain had three or four buyers that bought strictly for both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. With consolidation there may be two people for both divisions, and they welcome the help," Mr. Tousel said.
Ed Tousel, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Cleveland Growers, said that his company hired Ken Carnevale as director of business development to institute the firm?s expanded services.
Mr. Carnevale, who joined the company in December, is a 35-year veteran of the produce industry who most recently served as vice president of produce and floral for Tops Markets in Buffalo, NY.
?In addition to supplying a full line of produce, I operate a retail-service division, which is my main responsibility," Mr. Carnevale said. "We want to be the produce solution for our customers. This includes opening up a brand-new produce department for our retail customers, handling everything from design to fixtures and equipment, remodeling and setting up for the grand opening. Once they are open, we help them run their business.
?This is a produce solution," Mr. Carnevale said of his services. "It's not like five or 10 years ago when there were a lot of merchandisers and buyers out there. This really helps retailers with expertise they may not be able to afford or have in a small chain to help with the produce operation."
Mr. Carnevale said that Cleveland Growers offers customers "assistance in profit and shrink management and weekly planograms, if they want. We?re in the position with our retail services to really make a move on our customers."
Currently, the retail service division is staffed by 10 professionals.
Cleveland Growers? produce and floral services include dedicated field merchandisers, retail pricing assistance, retail operations assistance, seminars for produce managers, seasonal and ad planning, department layout assistance and store personnel training. Other services include weekly order guides and a weekly merchandising newsletter.
Cleveland Growers uses its new facility to pack customized private labels and is a certified Sunkist repacker. The company does customized retail fruit and vegetable repacking, foodservice repacking, and offers a full line of standard, gourmet and organic items, and customized gift baskets. The firm offers mail-order shipping and a full line of candy and nut bowls.
Describing the company, which was founded in 1927, and its new warehouse, Mr. Tousel said, "We are one of the few grower-owned companies in the country that has grown and stayed in business. This business is for-profit and totally grower-owned. It was a nice gesture of support for the owners to invest in a 100,000-square-foot building with every inch refrigerated. "The building is designed for food safety foremost, and for the company to expand and grow, with a real commitment to the best quality produce available," he added. "We maintain the cold chain for our product as it goes in and out. I was told a long time ago, "Once you?ve harvested something, it's dying." The best we can do is to handle it in proper temperatures and get it to the end user as soon as possible."
The refrigeration through the building uses an ammonia-based system, which has modern safety features. Ammonia is "more expensive initially but it gives overall better quality product. So far we?re very happy with it," Mr. Tousel said.
In its warehouse, which opened in March 2004, the company installed a style of hydraulic dock leveler that is easy to clean and has no pits for rodents or trash to enter. The entire interior of the building is galvanized steel so no paint is used, thus eliminating the possibility of paint chips and any food safety negatives that might be associated with them.
Other food safety features are a sophisticated drain system with clean-outs and pressure washers located every 50 feet in the warehouse to easily clean the facility and the trucks serving it.
The facility has CSX priority track rail service running straight into the refrigerated unloading space within the warehouse. "Train access, with the trucking crush, will be very important in the future," Mr. Tousel said.
For some larger customers, Cleveland Growers receives their rail purchases. "We take care of the hassles, make the deliveries and we can still be cheaper than they would have paid by truck," said Mr. Tousel.
A new "Pallet Fridge? brand banana, fruit and tomato ripening system is part of the warehouse, offering ripening temperatures ranging from 35 to 65 degrees.
Mr. Tousel said that the new facility includes a security system with thumbprint scanning to gain entry to the building. Thumbprints are required for "employees and anyone else we let in." The building also has full security camera coverage, inside and out.
Mr. Tousel said that the 25,000-square-foot repacking facilities help retail customers who "don?t have labor in their stores like they need."
Cleveland Growers? warehouse also has a fully integrated composting system that prepares waste to be composted at an offsite facility. The setup is environmentally friendly while allowing the company to keep its facility "as clean and neat as possible."
?We have a backup generator in operation 365 days a year, so we can operate whether there is [outside] power or not," said Mr. Tousel. "We did our homework on putting that together."
The building features a humidity-control system for all refrigeration. The company has a fleet of new or nearly new Kenworth trucks to assure top refrigerated over-the-road service, and it operates straight trucks for local delivery.
Cleveland Growers employs as many as 150 people at a time and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
?Years ago we were a wholesaler," Mr. Tousel said. "As we have grown, we are a full-service distribution center."
Cleveland Growers has a floral program and a "full holiday fruit and nut basket program that is second to none. We also have a full foodservice division that handles most of the big foodservice companies in the area. Now we deliver into eight different states."
The company maintains a wholesale division in the Northern Ohio Food Terminal.
But, Mr. Tousel added, "We?re way beyond a wholesaler. My guess is what we?re probably fighting it as an image [as simply being a wholesaler]."
Key points in overcoming that image are Mr. Carnevale?s 35 years of experience, and "I have four or five other guys who work with Ken with the same experience. We?re overloaded with retail background," said Mr. Tousel, who also has a background in the retail business.
In each major market there may be one or two companies that offer retail service programs like that of Cleveland Growers. But, Mr. Tousel added, "I don?t know that any of them offer the background, retailwise, that we do."
As Mr. Carnevale has launched his retail services division, "some customers have welcomed the help immediately." Those with new produce departments have been especially receptive, he added. In Cleveland Growers? marketing area, there are "small chains that are not staffed with a full-blown produce office like where I came from. They welcome our experience."
Mr. Tousel added, "We have an extensive buying staff that supports Ken?s operation. There can be a small chain where one guy buys the produce, loads it and unloads the truck. We can have quite a few people in there helping him. It's hard to find such help, especially to find someone with Ken?s background. I think our retail services are really needed out there."
With the high competitive level caused by consolidation in the retail food business, and the related need to cut costs, "the first thing they cut is labor. There are guys in charge of divisions with no one else there. They have warehouse people but it's not like five or 10 years ago when a chain had three or four buyers that bought strictly for both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. With consolidation there may be two people for both divisions, and they welcome the help," Mr. Tousel said.
