Nate Sumner Email & Phone Number

Emeryville, California, US

Chicago, Illinois, US

• Vertically integrated CPG manufacturer, distributor, retailer & wholesaler of fresh, ready to eat salads, bowls, handhelds and snacks.Accomplished significant departmental growth & development during tenure:
• Production run rate: 13x growth from 1.1MM units to 14.5MM units
• Annual budget: 4.5x growth from $8MM to $36MM spend (3x reduction in total cost per unit)
• Operations department headcount: 4x growth from 60 to >250 employees
• Customers: 16x growth from 150 to >2,500 locations

Chicago, Illinois, US

• Administered all aspects of manufacturing, shipping & in-bound supply chain operations for a high growth and innovative fresh food company including oversite of owned and 3rd party manufacturing facilities. Responsible.
• Achieved USDA and GFSI SQF (with Costco addendum) certifications to support national retail expansion with Target, Hudson News, Costco and others, increasing serviceable addressable market by 50%+.
• Implemented lean manufacturing operations management system to facilitate scale: targeted 50% reduction in labor costs and standardized information flows to accommodate multiple shifts and sites, doubling existing.
• Collaborated with sales & finance to create a multi-year CapEx plan to support capacity and national expansion without impacting production, achieving investor approval to build out and modernize undeveloped.
• Led Procurement and reformulation optimization efforts to reduce total direct costs by 18.5% while producer price index (PPI) costs for fresh food manufacturers was increasing by over 50%.

Chicago, Illinois, US

• Oversaw 100% of the execution functions for the manufacturing facility. Provided direct accountability for the inventory/warehouse, maintenance, production processing & assembly, planning & purchasing functions and.
• Scaled production capacity 3x while reducing overhead costs 23% and direct costs 34% to support rapid growth.
• Piloted quality, food safety and 3rd party GMP audits, scoring an average of 97.75% on Siliker GMP Audit from 2019-2022.
• Cultivated a people forward culture with focus on quality, safety, equity/inclusion and career development, increasing employee engagement score to 95%+ during the COVID pandemic crisis.

Chicago, Illinois, US

• Directed move to new manufacturing facility. Built out all processes, procedures, organizational structure and KPIs to standardize inventory control methods, supplier standards and material flows throughout the facility.
• Successful buildout of 50K sq ft manufacturing facility with zero disruption to production levels, achieving 6x increase in production capacity and 100% planned to actual budget performance.
• Digitized inventory records, increasing inventory accuracy to >96% and reducing reporting time 50%.
• Created a new production planning model, facilitating 50% increase in SKU count and growing production volume 10x.

San Francisco, CA, US

• Food delivery service with a mission to reduce food waste & build a better food system (acquired by Misfit Market in 2022).Key member of launch team for Midwest, Southeast and Northwest distribution centers (DCs)..
• Directly contributed to company-wide growth from $36MM - $125MM.
• Created spreadsheet-based inventory management & procurement system to aid in scaling new DCs from $0-$50MM annual revenue: increased inventory accuracy to 99%+ and reduced waste and shorts by 50%+.
• Created a “Playbook” to standardize process flows, product specs and KPIs with real time tracking for 6 facilities, reducing direct labor costs ~50% and increasing inbound product quality ~30%.

Elburn, IL, US

Elburn, IL, US

• USDA Certified Organic produce farm serving consumers, wholesalers and retailers across the Midwest, as well as the Chicago-area’s largest, vertically integrated Farm to Table private & public events venue (purchased.
• Tripled available production space, increasing efficiency for a 4x increase in produce revenue.
• Obtained and maintained best-in-class food safety programs, culture and certifications: USDA Certified Organic, USDA GAP Certified and 3rd Party GMP Certified.
• Oversaw full commercialization cycle from R&D to sales of new CPG product line (MicroGreens), securing business with key natural & conventional grocery retailers across 11 states, enhancing product margin from 20% to.
• Optimized product/information flows, reduced costs and increased capacity & quality through lean manufacturing concepts, digitization of production planning tools and incorporating real-time KPI dashboarding displays.
• Secured sales locations in premier markets, retailers, restaurants and hotel chains including Chicago Green City Market, Whole Foods Market, multiple Michelin star restaurants, Waldorf Astoria, Marriott and Hilton.

Elburn, IL, US

Bachelor'S Degree, Management And Business Analysis

Associate'S Degree, Culinary Arts