As we bid a fond farewell to our respected President and CEO, Dan Zagzebski, we are excited to share that the Board of Directors has selected Bob Sarver, Executive Vice President of Packaging Operations and Sales as Dan’s successor. Bob has been with Great Lakes Cheese since 2018 holding a variety of leadership roles in continuous improvement, operations, and sales. The Board selected Bob for the role of President and CEO because of his commitment to fostering long-term relationships with our key partners, expertise in food manufacturing, and his dedication to the Great Lakes Cheese ownership culture. Our company’s passion for excellence remains steadfast, with the best leadership guiding us forward. Congratulations, Bob! Bob will assume the role of President and CEO effective August 1, 2024. Dan will then become the Outgoing President and CEO and will support Bob in the transition. He will join Bob on several customer, supplier, and other key partner visits through the end of the year.
About us
Great Lakes Cheese is an award-winning, premier manufacturer and packager of natural and processed bulk, shredded, and sliced cheeses. As the nation’s leading natural cheese packager, Great Lakes Cheese serves grocery, club and super stores, as well as restaurant chains and foodservice distributors. The company has a national footprint with facilities in Ohio, New York, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, and one under construction in Texas. Family- and employee-owned, Great Lakes Cheese celebrated their 60th year of business in 2018. Great Lakes Cheese was founded by Swiss immigrant, Hans Epprecht, who began his store-door delivery business in 1958. Since then, Great Lakes Cheese has grown to a multi-billion dollar revenue company. The company remains privately owned by the Epprecht Family and over 4,000 dedicated employee-owners. In 1998, the Epprecht Family established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), which gives all employee-owners a shared 20% stake in the company.
- Website
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http://www.greatlakescheese.com
External link for Great Lakes Cheese
- Industry
- Food and Beverage Manufacturing
- Company size
- 1,001-5,000 employees
- Headquarters
- Hiram, Ohio
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 1958
Locations
Employees at Great Lakes Cheese
Updates
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Join Great Lakes Cheese and dairy lovers around the country as we celebrate National Dairy Month! It is an annual observance in the United States that takes place during the month of June. We pay tribute to the dairy industry and work to promote the consumption of dairy products while recognizing the contributions of dairy farmers and the importance of dairy in our diets. For more information about how you can celebrate in your community, visit www.thedairyalliance.com.
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We're thrilled to welcome our summer intern cohort who started with us this Tuesday, on National Cheese Day! 🧀 Our interns spent this week at our Corporate Headquarters with cross-functional leaders learning about our state-of-the-art manufacturing operations. The group spent time learning how we continue to improve the quality of our cheese products, the customers we're proud to serve, and even how to make the perfect cheese board. We're so excited to have our interns on board for the summer and are eager to see how they contribute to the success of our business. Learn more about the early career opportunities we offer for students on our website at https://lnkd.in/gpiUhYdj
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Get a slice of this action in Vegas next week for Pizza Expo Tuesday, March 19 - Thursday, March 21 at booth 3329 and try out pizzas 🍕featuring our 🌶️ Carolina Reaper 🔥 and award-winning 🤩 Empire Select Mozzarella cheeses 🧀!
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Congratulations to our Vice President of Supply Chain and Procurement, Suresh Babu, for receiving the Lifetime Achievement award for Rockstars of Supply Chain 2024! “Great Lakes Cheese is committed to providing a 99% plus service level to our customers. This is only possible by continually reinvesting not only in physical infrastructure but people and systems,” says Babu. Thank you, Suresh, for your dedication, leadership, and significant contributions to Great Lakes Cheese and the dairy industry. Read more here:
Great news at #Logility!🏆 Suresh Babu a key player in building excellence at our client, Great Lakes Cheese was recognized for the Lifetime Achievement award for Rockstars of Supply Chain 2024. “This recognition is a testament to the Great Lakes Cheese ‘customer first’ approach, and a reminder of the possibilities that comes with pushing the boundaries of supply chain excellence.” – Babu said. Join us in celebrating their success, along with our team winners, Allan Dow and Diane Ngabire in this full press release: https://bit.ly/3STDsmj
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Congratulations, Rob! Rob Shumaker, our Senior Manager of Food Safety and Laboratory, was awarded the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)’s 2024 Food Safety Leadership Award today at Dairy Forum in Phoenix, Arizona. The award, now in its eighth year, honors an individual, group, or organization for demonstrating outstanding leadership directed at enhancing food safety within the dairy products industry. Thank you, Rob, for your dedication, leadership, and significant contributions to Great Lakes Cheese and the dairy industry. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/db_sJjSV
Today, Rob Shumaker of Great Lakes Cheese was presented with IDFA’s 2024 Food Safety Leadership Award. The award, now in its eighth year, honors an individual, group or organization for demonstrating outstanding leadership directed at enhancing food safety within the dairy products industry. “Rob Shumaker has been called a guardian of food safety for Great Lakes Cheese and for the dairy industry by his peers, and we couldn’t agree more,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards. “We recognize Rob as well as the food safety team at Great Lakes Cheese for their continued leadership to protect public health.” Read the full press release on IDFA’s website: https://lnkd.in/db_sJjSV
Great Lakes Cheese Leader Receives IDFA’s 2024 Food Safety Leadership Award
idfa.org
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We might not be able to shop at work, but we certainly hunted for treasure! Last week, employee-owners at our corporate office participated in our first ever “Trade and Treasure”, a sustainable shopping experience where employee-owners brought in over 615 gently used or brand new items to our “store” and discovered someone else’s treasures to take home. GLC continually looks for ways to make sustainability a win-win experience. This event allowed employee-owners to create space in their homes, save money, minimize their environmental impact by reusing instead of buying new, and connect with colleagues in a fun, new way. Learn more about other ways we pursue win-win-win solutions for our people, products, and planet on our website at https://lnkd.in/gawDBysq
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Great Lakes Cheese reposted this
We love cheesy talk, and our PLMA - Private Label Manufacturers Association booth visitors got an ear (and a mouth)-ful! 🧀 Swipe to see snapshots from the show featuring our favorite smiles and cheesy culinary creations by our partner Chef Jason Hernandez 📸! Want to talk cheese with us? Visit us on our website to learn more and get in touch at greatlakescheese.com
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We love cheesy talk, and our PLMA - Private Label Manufacturers Association booth visitors got an ear (and a mouth)-ful! 🧀 Swipe to see snapshots from the show featuring our favorite smiles and cheesy culinary creations by our partner Chef Jason Hernandez 📸! Want to talk cheese with us? Visit us on our website to learn more and get in touch at greatlakescheese.com
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