fairlife, LLC today announced the addition of a management team dedicated to supporting the company’s growth through its new $200 million, 300,000-square-foot production and distribution facility in Goodyear, Arizona. Neil Betteridge has been named Senior Vice President (SVP) of Global Manufacturing Technologies to oversee the Arizona plant. Reporting to Betteridge will be Troy Hancock who has been hired as the Plant Manager in Arizona.
The new Arizona facility will contain production lines made with advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment that can support the increased demand for fairlife products. In preparation for the facility’s winter 2020 opening, Betteridge will develop and execute operating protocols, policies, and procedures that support the company’s operational goals and help drive performance. Hancock’s priority is to build a team of highly technical people with experience in dairy manufacturing using cutting-edge technology to help launch the facility. Once open, Hancock will be accountable for the coordination, administration, and implementation of all day-to-day management of the operational activities for the production facility.
“We are on track to open our production facility in winter 2020 and we’re so thankful to our local partners and stakeholders for helping us get to the point where we need to hire key personnel to lead plant operations,” said Tim Doelman, Chief Executive Officer of fairlife, LLC. ” Neil and Troy are critical hires and they both have impressive backgrounds, including successful startups of major manufacturing plants. This makes them the right people to scale our production and help fulfill our mission to nourish more people. Their combined expertise will help us continue to push fairlife forward.”
Betteridge joins fairlife with 22 years of experience in the food industry managing supply chains, manufacturing and capital projects. Prior to his new role, he spent twelve years at Synlait Milk Limited and ten years at Fonterra. Hancock most recently served as Principal for Dairy MTS, a consulting business he created in 2019 to support food and dairy manufacturers in their efforts to achieve operational excellence in all aspects of manufacturing. Prior to that, he was with Shamrock Foods for 19 years where he oversaw all aspects of the manufacturing operations on three campuses and played a significant role in the growth and development of the dairy group, helping to turn it from an underperforming organization to being recognized as an industry leader.
“To be the captain of an industry, a company needs a great team. One of the things I’ve learned after being in the manufacturing industry for a long time is that it tends to have a high turnover rate if the employees are not respected and cared for,” stated Betteridge. “I was drawn to fairlife because it’s a well-respected dairy company with a remarkable culture and work environment. The company invests in training employees and building a positive culture at the workplace – two things I sincerely believe lead to great employee morale. I’m honored to be part of a company that values its employees and is doing its part to help rebuild our economy and stimulate its growth.”
“After watching the company’s impressive growth the past few years, it’s very exciting to be part of the incredible organization. It makes it even better that I am able to do it in the beautiful state of Arizona. I look forward to kicking off recruitment initiatives this summer that will give applicants a chance to get to know fairlife better and experience firsthand what it’s like to work at a fairlife plant,” added Hancock.
The new Arizona facility will create more than 100 jobs and fairlife will fill these positions over the course of summer 2020. In addition to posting details about the available job positions on the fairlife careers web page, the company will host a series of recruitment events in Goodyear, Arizona. To learn more about the company, visit fairlife.com.
