CHRIS KOSTOHRIS
Atlanta
Summary
Proven and energetic leader with over 25 years of end-to-end supply chain and manufacturing leadership experience. Strong ability to lead end-to-end strategies in large and small companies, multi-site responsibility with hands on experience in all aspects of operations, supply, and distribution. Proven track record of improving operational results, eliminating waste, and reducing costs, while developing people and strengthening organizational culture. Creative and innovative problem solver, utilizing lean and sourcing aligned strategies that collaborate well with Sales, Business, Operations & Supply Chain to deliver exceptional results.
Professional in operations management with proven track record of driving efficiency and productivity. Known for fostering team collaboration and adapting to evolving business needs. Skilled in strategic planning, process optimization, and resource management to deliver impactful results. Respected for reliability and results-focused approach.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Site Manager
NewCold
05.2023 - Current
- Spent the first 7 months as Site Leader in Tacoma, WA, providing leadership and support while learning NewCold processes and automation. Was able to drive improvement in all critical KPIs while stabilizing a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
- As Site Manager in Atlanta, GA, led hiring plan for phase 1 start-up October 2023. Site fully operation April 2024. Broke ground on phase 2 Oct 2024.
- Full responsibility for site operations of a $330MM facility, autonomous warehousing, maintenance, planning and HR functions. 160 current team members. Phase 2 is projected to be 300+ employees.
- Manage the local warehouse team and provide a level of service satisfying customer requirements, at a level of cost agreed in the budget. Exceeding ramp up volume and KPIs (OTD, Fill Rate, Inventory Accuracy), while meeting EBITDA targets.
- Developed site Annual Operating Plan (AOP) with finance coordination. Responsible for site P&L, including volume forecast and revenue, expenses, and cost savings initiatives.
- Drive, coach, implement Lean practices throughout all functions in the site. Driving best in class productivity using Lean/Continuous Improvement methods.
- Lead and drive positive culture and uphold company values, ensuring that a positive attitude to Health & Safety is embedded within the team on-site.
- Direct the operational team in alignment with company policy, ensuring that agreed standards are understood and met. Ensure direct reports and the team’s performance is reviewed and demonstrates the highest level possible. BRC audit successfully passed Feb 2025.
- Drive autonomous maintenance practices with team members to make sure OEE meets and exceeds targets for automation equipment.
Director of Customer Success
Smithfield Foods
01.2022 - 01.2023
- Lead 90+ employees responsible for end-to-end order management process (SAP) to service all customers at the highest level possible. 3.2B lbs of protein shipped annually.
- Customer facing accountability for over 4,000 customer locations.
- Lead and provide daily overall support for department and collaborate with sales, transportation, supply, business management and distribution to achieve goals.
- Leads customer facing call and in person visits to key customers.
- Point person for talent acquisition and hiring of all levels of customer success (Sr. Manager to Customer Representative).
- Key metrics achieved YTD: Reduce late orders, increase full pallet ordering, increase direct plant shipments, reduce spot freight loads, increase truck weights, and reduce OTIF fines.
- Overall accountability for OTIF (On Time and In Full) customers (i.e., Wal-Mart, Kroger, Sysco, PFG).
- Lead cross functional collaboration with supply partners to improve overall service levels to reduce costs.
- Leads SS&OE process for department and provides updates weekly to senior executives.
- Initiated a “Hyper Care” process for top accounts, at risk customers and accounts with lower service levels. Includes daily tracking of all orders to fill in full and deliver on time.
Customer Success Manager
Smithfield Foods
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Lead and manage 60+ employees responsible for order management process to service all customers at the highest level possible.
- Manage top accounts including Kroger and Wal-Mart, in addition to the vendor replenishments teams remote in Blue Ash, OH and Bentonville, Arkansas.
- Created weekly scorecards to promote improved service and collaboration between sales, customer service and the customer.
- Host weekly calls with customers to deliver weekly and monthly scorecards working directly with sales.
Supply Chain Manager
Smithfield Foods
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Lead Supply Planners/managers in the Ham and Prepared Foods/BBQ/Ribs segment
- Lead Rib build process with 3rd part cold storage locations for Wal-Mart, Sams, and top grocers (Kroger, Food Lion, Albertsons, Publix)
- Oversee multiple plants (Sioux City, Kinston, Sioux Falls, Clinton, St. James) and co-packers (Turpak, Abby land, Monogram Foods, Pioneer Meats).
- Accountable for 3rd Party co-packers and suppliers. Kraft, Bier Cheese, VH Cooper.
Demand Planning Manager
Smithfield Foods
01.2016 - 01.2020
- Mange and accountable for day-to-day activities of all Retail, Foodservice, and Industrial forecast related activities. Work closely with sales, business management and supply planning to ensure forecast accuracy to provide exceptional customer service.
- Three-year improvement seen in all key metrics improving year over year. Meeting goals and objectives.
- Met Sku accuracy goals for 2019. National accuracy 83% +1% over 2018.
- DC Accuracy met its goal at 77% for 2019. 10 of 12 months over 75% goal.
- Collaborated with all levels of the organization including Sr. Executives to improve forecast accuracy
Head of Global Logistics and Supply Chain
Healthy Pet
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Full responsibility of end-to-end logistics, distribution, and supply chain, including strategic sourcing, purchasing, demand and supply planning and order management. Driving transformational improvements in supply chain velocity, supplier compliance and qualification process, manufacturing cycle time reduction, standardized work process to drive lower inventory requirements and higher inventory turns to build capabilities in flexible supply for growth. Leader and process owner delivering value creation options and customer solutions through supply chain speed, agility, and analytics.
- Responsible for all procurement and purchasing activities for raw and packaging materials. Raw materials include small animal diet ingredients (dehydrated fruits and vegetables and base pellet), pulp and paper fiber, and packaging materials. Annual spending exceeds $20MM.
- Developed supplier KPI and compliance strategy: Initiated a supplier management system that included KPI identification and monitoring, performance improvement plans, and regular audits to ensure compliance and continual improvement. KPI’s development included quality, service and delivery, cost, and contract adherence.
- Responsible for Global Forecast to Stock process including Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP). Integrating marketing and sales, finance, planning and manufacturing, a sku rationalization process developed, forecast review and adherence along with key metrics used to drive business profitability.
- Performance owner for global product availability (service) and working capital (finished and raw material inventory). Responsible for global supply plan for all finished and raw materials. Developed finished good KPI’s and targets that aligned with business strategies to ensure customer satisfaction. KPIs included Fill Rate, On-Time delivery, inventory targets by Sku. Service levels are maintained above 99%. “Green” on top three customer scorecards (Petsmart, Petco and Wal-Mart).
- Created cost savings results through the development of short and long term and sustainable sourcing strategies reducing material costs, logistics spend and inventory. First year savings $750K.
- Lead successful contract negotiation and partnership with global 3PL freight carrier to reduce freight variability due to remote location of manufacturing plant. Created predictability while reducing costs. Leverage buying power of global partner.
SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Clorox Company
01.2013 - 01.2014
- Supply and Demand Planning Manager Litter, Food and Charcoal SBU’s
- Responsible for managing day-to-day activities as well as short and long-range forecasting of both retail food and litter business units (Hidden Valley Ranch, KCM BBQ, Soy Vay and Fresh Step). Manage through supply planner support, long term forecasting, and continuous improvement to standard work and processes.
- Delivered inventory reduction plan through VSM (forecast volatility, supplier lead-time analysis, production lead-time, and transit time) process across both food and litter businesses to deliver a 2% reduction in working capital, while achieving fill rate (99.5%) and on-time delivery (98%) KPI’s above target.
- Responsible for supply and deployment plan of both litter and food businesses. Responsibility included 3 Clorox manufacturing sites and six co-manufacturers in North America.
- Lead and supported food service meetings to gain urgency and results for above target case fill rates. Was able to set platform for discussions resulting in actions taken to provide the business with target results. Supply planners, manufacturing as well as executive personnel were present and engaged on a weekly basis. Standard work, best practices in target setting
- Developed and utilized tools and resources to provide a clear understanding of supply plan based on data; shipment to forecast accuracy, demand variability to optimized inventory levels at plant and regional distribution stocking locations.
Operations Manager
Operations Manager, Kingsford Charcoal
01.2010 - 01.2013
- Responsible for managing the manufacturing, packaging, quality, and distribution and purchasing departments at the world’s largest charcoal plant in Belle, MO.
- Enabled plant to achieve $2.5MM cost savings plan over 2 years. Accomplished through setting standards and best practices reducing inefficiencies in the process, material costs, maximizing formulation opportunities as well as driving a lean culture of continuous improvement. Initiated strategic souring of wood waste. Negotiated contracts including quality specifications, volumes, and price of 70% of wood suppliers.
- Successfully lead all areas of high-volume production & warehouse operations; engagement & development of leadership personnel, setting and clearly communicating strategic direction, building plans and processes that enable success, and ownership of overall results.
- Developed WCO/technical capabilities and “enthusiastic ownership” of business results in plant staff & associates ensuring safety is a core value. Lead world class operations pillars including Safety, Organizational Empowerment, Productivity (OEE) and Improvement Methods.
- Lead and reinforced safety as a core value. RIR reached world class levels 0.00. No incidents over two years. Safety Pillar processes are reinforced with clear employee expectations regarding individual and team behaviors.
Operations Planning Manager
Operations Planning Manager – Raw Materials
01.2009 - 01.2010
- Litter, Food Charcoal Business Units
- Responsible for managing the raw material supply chain activities including set up, strategic sourcing, and transportation guidelines for business activities in the Kingsford and Litter business units. Successfully managed raw material supply chain more than $150 million annual spend, along with guiding and leading teams to achieve personal and business goals.
- Excellent management of raw material sourcing and professional supplier relationships. Responsible for the supply assurance and cost of multiple coal, clay, and limestone suppliers throughout North America. Developed raw material strategy and material plan for five charcoal and two litter plants, ensuring supply while controlling and reducing costs through vendor management and optimization.
- Lead operational excellence event to evaluate the clay and limestone raw material supply chain. Used lean and six Sigma tools (VSM, Kiazen and root cause analysis) to create cost savings of more than $1MM annually through the reduction of railcar demurrage.
- Develop financial valuations and identify risks and opportunities to support decisions and allocation of resources on tactical and strategic business initiatives and supply chain activities. Lead cost savings project to increase payload capacity of lease versus rail owned bulk cars. Lead efforts to increase leased railcar fleet (3 year invest $1MM), ROI less than 18 months.
- Buying strategies implemented based on volume forecasts, market conditions, product innovation and formula optimization. Frequent key supplier meetings are held to communicate change in demand, supplier scorecards and areas of improvements as well to obtain most up to date market conditions. Strategic thinker while driving cost efficiency within the inbound raw material supply chain, through cost ovation activities and monitoring the economic climate of supply and suppliers.
- Collaborate with business leaders on new commercialization efforts, determining risk and feasibility while exploring innovative sources of supply and suppliers.
Packaging/Production Manager
Packaging/Production Manager, Kingsford Charcoal
01.2005 - 01.2009
- Responsible for packaging operations and safety compliance at the Springfield, OR plant, including people development, operating efficiencies, and purchasing of packaging materials (poly, paper, and supplies). Support plant operations delivering high quality products while sustaining the Lean and World Class Operation efforts of the organization.
- Manage purchasing of all packaging materials, including solvent from Exxon, bags, shrink and stretch film, caps and liners, packaging tape, pallets, and labels for finished goods: Successfully managed professional supplier relationships.
- Created KPI’s for all packaging suppliers. Lead time adherence, quality, and delivery.
- Planning and scheduling of daily packaged goods. Maintained all production orders and inventory visibility through SAP including cycle counting. Inventory accuracy and schedule adherence above target.
- Lead, coach, and mentor all autonomous maintenance (AM) activities in packaging and manufacturing. T&Q lead and AM step 1-4 auditor. Maintained professional relationship with plant leadership peers and subordinates during audit process.
- Successfully lead the development and coaching of 32 subordinates, including managing the process for successful completion of employee performance review and individual improvement plans.
- Promote positive employee relations within the plants by proactively identifying/addressing areas of concern and by developing/coaching employees
Distribution Center Manager
Distribution Center Manager, Kingsford Charcoal
01.2004 - 01.2005
- Responsible for all plant warehouses, distribution, and supply chain activities. Responsibilities include providing the leadership direction and organizational design to enable on-time shipments, support plant throughput volume and ensure delivery of high-quality products to meet customer needs in a safe and efficient manner optimizing cost and value-added return.
- Monitors and manages Plant Distribution staff
- Safety management, ensuring “safety as a core value”
- Quality of service, Distribution performance measures management and implementation of systems, policies, and procedures
- Budget development and adherence
- Oversight of planning and executing of daily distribution activity
- World Class Distribution (WCD): Successfully implement and sustain WCD processes Create, drive and own WCD savings plan for plant
- Plant Leadership: Provide leadership though out the plant through Pillar ownership, sponsoring, or active membership
Processing Area Manager
JR Simplot Company
01.2003 - 01.2004
- Responsible for planning and coordinating the processing activities along with all support groups within the potato processing plant, from raw potato receiving, trimming, and cutting to processing fry lines and packaging.
- Responsible for supplier communication, track and trace, and order processing for cooking oils and supplier management (Cargill). Ensured supply of railcar quantity cooking oils for processing of fry lines. Maintained supply to enable production to meet and exceed goals.
- Successfully cross-trained as Shift Manager, overseeing all production lines; including raw receiving, processing, packaging, and warehouse distribution. Supervising up to 6 team leaders and 40 operators.
- Lead projects for oil recovery, reduction of “b” grade product made and other processing improvements while planning and recommending changes in procedure, leading productivity improvements. Created standards and SOPs to sustain processes.
- Assists in the training and development of processing personnel of proper methods of equipment operation, record keeping, process control and food safety.
Area Production/ Warehouse Manager
Simplot Meat Products
01.2003 - 01.2004
- Managed all aspects of warehouse, distribution and production including cold storage for full-service beef plant. Successfully implemented standards and best practices to meet and exceed departmental goals by 30%, while operating with an annual budget exceeding $1MM.
- Liaison with USDA for all domestic and international shipments. Complied with all USDA standards and regulations for domestic and international shipments.
- Purchased all packaging and rolling stock material and equipment.
- Lead and implemented training and qualification standards workforce of 25 employees on order- pulling, line work, and loading of trailers. Successfully motivated and cross-trained all employees to work at a safe and productive pace while improving practices to exceed customer requirements.
- Demonstrated leadership through hands on team management and ability to encourage performance-based employees to work at the highest level while maintaining safe work habits. Very committed to a work environment that is fair and equal to employees for training and discipline, while promoting growth, innovation, and continuous improvement. Safety RIR less than one.
- Implemented blast tunnel racking project to improve efficiencies and reduce cost for packaged beef.
- Managed all inventory control issues for production, quality control and distribution. Scheduled and managed freight; raw receiving, outbound loading, and customer pick-ups. Reduced inventory loss 80% through inventory target setting and production adherence.
Warehouse Supervisor
Supervalu Inc.
01.2000 - 01.2003
- Managed and scheduled a union workforce of 75-150 employees for grocery order selecting, loading, and unloading trailers, safety, and sanitation.
- Successfully implemented policies to improve safety, quality, and productivity of daily tasks. Able to motivate workforce to increase productivity while minimizing overtime.
- Assist warehousing and transportation managers to achieve budgeted departmental goals. Communicate with customers to acquire new opportunities and ensure an existing relationship.
- Implemented trailer-loading practices to increase loading tons per hour from 7.5 to 10.1 tons per hour.
Education
MBA - Business Administration, Technology Management
University of Phoenix
Salem, ORWestern Washington University
Bellingham, WA01.2016
BA - Business Administration and Economics
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA01.1991
Skills
- Team leadership
- Site inspection and management
- Problem-solving
- Quality assurance
- Staff management
- Site safety
- Strategic planning
Timeline
Site Manager
NewCold
05.2023 - Current
Director of Customer Success
Smithfield Foods
01.2022 - 01.2023
Customer Success Manager
Smithfield Foods
01.2021 - 01.2022
Supply Chain Manager
Smithfield Foods
01.2020 - 01.2021
Demand Planning Manager
Smithfield Foods
01.2016 - 01.2020
Head of Global Logistics and Supply Chain
Healthy Pet
01.2014 - 01.2016
SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Clorox Company
01.2013 - 01.2014
Operations Manager
Operations Manager, Kingsford Charcoal
01.2010 - 01.2013
Operations Planning Manager
Operations Planning Manager – Raw Materials
01.2009 - 01.2010
Packaging/Production Manager
Packaging/Production Manager, Kingsford Charcoal
01.2005 - 01.2009
Distribution Center Manager
Distribution Center Manager, Kingsford Charcoal
01.2004 - 01.2005
Processing Area Manager
JR Simplot Company
01.2003 - 01.2004
Area Production/ Warehouse Manager
Simplot Meat Products
01.2003 - 01.2004
Warehouse Supervisor
Supervalu Inc.
01.2000 - 01.2003
BA - Business Administration and Economics
University of Puget Sound
MBA - Business Administration, Technology Management
University of Phoenix
Western Washington University
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