Rosenhayn, NJ – F&S Produce in conjunction with Gloucester County College’s Division of Continuing Education has been awarded a $324,800 grant through the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This consortium grant will enable comprehensive training to be provided to employees at F&S Produce Co, and its sister companies Pipco Transportation and Mid-Eastern Cold Storage.
F&S has undergone significant growth to its business and operations in recent years, including a 25,000 sq. ft. facility expansion that was completed during the fall of 2011, bringing its total processing space to over 125,000 sq. ft. As a next phase of its growth, F&S realized that it was critical to upgrade the skills of all employees. Because of this grant, the company’s management and administrative team will now be receiving extensive training in information technology systems, as well as principles of leadership and Lean manufacturing. In addition, principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) will be provided to the F&S management team, a series of training classes in Good Manufacturing Practices will be provided to over 300 line workers, and specialized training will be provided to the company’s truck drivers.
“We are taking our company to the next level, and we are extremely thankful to the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development for this grant, which will ease the financial burden that is required to train our employees”, said Sam Pipitone, Jr., CEO and owner of F&S Produce, Pipco Transportation and Mid-Eastern Cold Storage.
Lou Cooperhouse, President and COO of F&S Produce and the author of the grant, added “It is critical that companies continually invest in their employees in order to compete in today’s marketplace. We are putting this money immediately to work, as we are implementing sophisticated systems upgrades and process improvements at F&S over the coming months. This grant will enable us to build upon our SQF 2000 Level 3 Certification, aggressively train our employees in all functional areas, and affect the cultural change that is required in a world-class organization”. F&S was an early adopter and pioneer in achieving SQF (Safe Quality Food) Certification, and has received the highest level (SQF 2000 Level 3) of certification that is attainable. SQF is a globally trusted and accepted food safety and quality program, and it is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
This customized Training Grant will support significant manufacturing infrastructure and information system upgrades that F&S is making in 2012. “This grant represents a partnership between Gloucester County College’s Division of Customized Training and F&S Produce and its sister companies,” said Allen Magid, sales Manager of GCC’s Continuing Education Customized Training Program. “The company’s recent expansion, and its investment in its employees, will help boost the local economy, as this region has one of the highest unemployment rates in the State of New Jersey”.
For more information on F&S Produce, please visit their website at www.freshcutproduce.com. For more information on GCC’s Division of Continuing Education Customized Training, please contact them at 856-468-5000, ext. 5503.
Source: F&S Produce
