Even before Green Field Solutions became its own business unit, it was shaking up how the food and feed manufacturing industries approached sustainable business operations. In 2015, the International Family of Companies began the work that would officially become Green Field Solutions in 2020. Today, we’ve become the most trusted leader in sustainable food waste management solutions. Why? Because we seek out ways to genuinely meet the needs of the people and businesses we work with.
GFS General Manager, Tony Armitage, shares what it means to be in the problem solving business, from our focus on relationships to our entrepreneurial approach to our ability to simplify the most complex problems facing CPG companies.
How did it all begin?
Green Field Solutions was born out of relationships I had 30 years ago. I’d sit across the table from a friend, a colleague, a vendor or customer, and they’d say: “Tony, I can’t do this by myself. I’m swamped, and I don’t know how to solve this problem. Can you help me?” What started as a basic desire to help a colleague in the food production industry, turned into a business that has grown over time. It’s been a lot of fun going from a personal relationship with a handful of people in the industry to where we are today. It’s very satisfying to look in the rear view mirror and realize just how much value we’ve created for our customers. We’re taking care of them and we’re growing a good business at the same time.
How has Green Field Solutions Grown?
Initially, Green Field Solutions was focused on organic by-products that had high nutritional value. We’ve gone way past that. We’ve found more ways to create value for our clients by managing their solid waste, handling recyclables, providing data management, and helping them tell their sustainability stories with metrics.
What hasn’t changed is our focus on meeting our clients’ needs. They want simplicity, streamlined operations and a single company that can meet all of their needs. They want to protect their brand. They want to reduce the time and effort and cost of managing co-products and by-products. They want to make sure they are in compliance. They want great service at their factories. They want to know they are getting a fair deal. And they want improvements on their returns.
What has changed are the types of tools we use, the sophistication of our methods and our techniques. As the food industry evolves, we will continue to be problem solvers and to evolve in ways that meet their needs.
For example, we have introduced our client portal, with real-time information and have built out robust and client management processes. We’ve continued to invest in our risk management techniques and have also expanded our network of solutions providers. Perhaps most importantly, we have built a great team of experts with years of experience and broad skillsets who help solve just about any problem.
What is the relationship between being entrepreneurial and being a problem solver?
Being entrepreneurial marries very well with our problem-solving culture and problem-solving brand.
I want every employee to feel like they own a business within this business, what I call an intra-preneur. Every commercial role, every operational role, I want each of them to have a vision and a dream and a passion for what they do. It’s a really important part of what we’re trying to create here.
Green Field Solutions is deliberately structured so that our growth directly impacts our people. They grow the business under their feet, and they become business owners or franchise owners within it. That creates genuine stakeholders and ensures responsiveness, flexibility and passion.
How does Green Field Solutions invest in solutions?
Many of our clients operate both nationally and globally, meaning they have challenges that need innovative solutions everywhere the company is located. We simply cannot afford to invest in the processing capital it would take to solve every problem everywhere.
When a client has an urgent need, but it’s unfeasible to invest the capital to solve it, we look at leveraging our existing capabilities, facilities and networks. Doing so positions GFS to be the reliable solutions provider our clients need, no matter what the problem or where they are located.
In the old days, siloed industries were making capital investments and building factories to compete against each other. That becomes molasses in the gears of change. If the speed of innovation depends on who can build the best factories fastest, it becomes a very slow process. It’s a war of attrition.
But when you have good industry relationships, like GFS does, you can bring all of that existing capital to the table. We have found this to be the best way to solve problems quickly, reliably and cost effectively.
Now, that doesn’t mean we won’t make capital expenditures. We do so situationally. We may purchase equipment like trailers, balers and compactors, but where we generally stop short is bricks and mortar. Again, situationally, there have been cases where we or someone within our network has built factories on behalf of our clients, but that is generally the exception and not the rule.
Even if we do not make the capital investment ourselves, we often work with our partners in industry to help them make capital investments that make sense for their business. This approach ensures speed, flexibility and high rates of return for everyone.
What do you see happening in the industry right now?
Within the food industry, we are seeing a new generation of leaders who consider the long-term impact of their business operations on people, communities and the environment. Their commitment to environmental stewardship is a core company value that shapes how they do business.
Second, food companies are continually innovating new ways of doing things. Their manufacturing methods are different and the way they make food is different, but they still want simplicity. As they evolve, we, too, must get even more sophisticated in our ability to help them solve their enterprise-wide problems in efficient ways.
How does Green Field Solutions simplify the complex?
Addressing the complex needs of large-scale food companies certainly takes more than one arrow in your quiver. It takes a lot of skill sets to simplify those complexities and to solve those problems.
Green Field Solutions employs smart people with great networks and great skillsets. They are the ones who are solving the most complex challenges across a wide enterprise.
We also leverage technology, systems and processes to deliver real value and effective solutions. What we are doing with technology is exciting stuff! Our client portal, for example, can provide real-time information, simplify back-office processes, consolidate data across platforms and factories, and present sustainability information in digestible formats.
Combining our technology and our smarts is how we will continue to meet our clients’ needs, while making their jobs simpler and more efficient.
First 5 years: What have you learned?
I believe that you can have the greatest idea in the world, the greatest science, the greatest technology, but unless you can find a way to make use of those abilities by genuinely meeting the needs of people, you will not be successful.
At Green Field Solutions, we don’t just solve sustainability problems. We don’t just solve operational problems. We solve people problems.
Our growth is directly tied to our ability to meet the needs of people — our employees, our clients, our third-party partners and our stakeholders. Part of that is hiring right and managing people correctly. Another part, quite frankly, is slowing down to ensure the needs of everyone are being met as we move forward. I’ve always known that, but boy, as our business has grown, we’ve learned to do that every day. It’s a very valuable lesson.
Next 5 years: What’s next for GFS?
Over the last five years, GFS has definitely grown. We’ve invested in infrastructure. We’ve added people with special skills sets. And we’ve adapted to meet our clients’ needs.
But there is still an endless amount of opportunity to grow Green Field Solutions. I see opportunity everywhere. I see needs to be met, and I see ways we can improve. Until we get to the point where we are fully meeting the needs of all our customers, we’ll never be satisfied, because there’s always more to do.
Learn more about our history with these articles:
Tony Armitage
Tony Armitage is the Vice President of Purchasing & Risk Management for The International Companies where he has a 30+ year tenure. Seeing the needs of its customers, he led the company's launch of Green Field Solutions in 2020 and now serves as its General Manager.
Tony is passionate about Catholic education for children with special needs. He founded the non-profit, One Classroom, in 2015 to expand their inclusive academic opportunities.
