Employee-owned Tanimura & Antle announced yesterday the promotion of Brett Champlin to senior director of harvest operations. In his new role, Champlin will oversee day-to-day harvest operations for the company’s crops.
“We have an extremely talented team of crop and industry experts in our harvest department and I attribute my knowledge and success to the mentorship they have provided me with since I started,” said Champlin. “I look forward to continuing to work together to deliver premium fresh produce to our valued customers.”
Champlin started his career at Tanimura & Antle as an intern. He was first challenged with creating a program to collect and track data for plant health, size and growth. Today, what started as an internship project is known as the company’s Advanced Forecasting Program, and is a prime example of the company’s commitment to innovation. The program serves as a vital liaison between harvest, sales and production to assist with accurately forecasting product yields and anticipate quality issues early on. After his internship, Champlin was hired full time in 2014 as the advanced forecasting manager where he managed a team of advanced forecasters to track crop growth progress and utilize the data to improve future plantings.
“I have worked with Brett for the length of his career at Tanimura & Antle and we identified him as a key employee in our succession planning early on. Tanimura & Antle has a long-standing legacy of caring for its people and promoting from within, and Brett is a prime example of that,” said Nick Sgheiza, vice-president of harvest. “Brett’s hard work, dedication and contributions are an essential part of our collective success.”
In 2015, Champlin was promoted to lettuce harvest manager and then in 2017, lettuce harvest director, where he was responsible for managing harvest operations for one of the company’s largest products, iceberg lettuce. The company’s iceberg lettuce program includes 12 harvest crews and 450 employees. Diversifying his responsibilities, Champlin spearheaded the product development of the company’s artisan baby iceberg program in 2018.
“We have an amazing team that continues to impress me with both their abilities and willingness to lead,” said Scott Grabau, president & CEO of Tanimura & Antle. “We truly have a world-class operation that starts with our employees. Brett is a great example of why we continue to succeed in a challenging industry.”
Champlin attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture Business and currently is pursuing a Masters from the Marshal School of Business at University of Southern California.
For more information:
Ashley Pipkin
Tanimura & Antle
Tel: +1 (831) 214-7453
ashleypipkin@taproduce.com
https://www.taproduce.com/