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Impact // Services // People & Culture

Three Awards - One Purpose

An Article by Greg Luhmkuhl, President and CEO

May 27, 2021

Lineage’s six values – safe, trust, respect, innovation, bold, and servant leadership – define who we are as a company and guide how we think about reimagining the journey of food. Quite simply, we fiercely live them every day we come to work to fulfill our purpose: to transform the food supply chain to eliminate waste and help feed the world.

One value in particular – innovation – fuels the relentless spirit of Lineage, and now, we’ve been recognized by three separate organizations – CNBC, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Fast Company – for how our innovations are challenging the status quo and leading the temperature-controlled logistics industry forward.

CNBC’s 2021 Disruptor 50 List

Earlier this week, Lineage was named as number 17 on CNBC’s ninth annual Disruptor 50 list. CNBC highlights forward-thinking private companies in a range of industries that are growing quickly and whose innovations are changing the world.

Lineage’s recognition on CNBC’s Disruptor list was for innovations like our patented blast freezing process and our extraordinary growth, which includes 72 acquisitions since 2012 and $1.9 billion in equity raised so far in 2021.

CNBC wrote that investors have taken notice that the companies (such as Lineage) on the 2021 Disruptor 50 list have become critical players in fundamental economic and consumer transformations. And if the food supply chain isn’t front and center, I don’t know what is! Way to go, Lineage.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program 2021 Better Practice Award

Lineage was named a recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2021 Better Practice award, a recognition that celebrates outstanding achievements in implementing and promoting the practices, principles, and procedures of energy management.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded Lineage for our success in energy procurement and for cultivating an industry-first data science team that has earned 15 patents and saved millions of dollars in annual energy costs.

Over the past two years, Lineage’s Data Science team has developed algorithms to analyze site load profiles and electricity rates to determine the optimal amount of fixed-rate energy procurement in deregulated markets. In 2020, the first iteration of Lineage’s work on energy procurement and hedging produced energy bill savings of 2-6% at participating sites.

This marks the third consecutive year Lineage has received an award from DOE for our innovations around energy efficiency. And let’s be clear, we’re aiming for a four-peat next year!

Fast Company’s 2021 Best Workplace for Innovators List

This year, Lineage made its first appearance on Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas list as a finalist in the “Pandemic Response” category. This achievement highlights our “Share a Meal” campaign, which launched in March of 2020 and called on global influencers, individuals and food chain leaders to lend a helping hand at the height of the COIVD-19 pandemic.

As a result of the campaign, over 115 million meals were provided to people affected by COVID-19 and the global food emergency that followed the onset of the pandemic. Lineage was later named a Visionary Partner of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, in recognition of our extraordinary contributions.

Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas awards seeks to honor the businesses, policies, projects and concepts that are committed to pursuing innovation to address health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality. I’m so proud of this team, and Lineage’s unshakeable commitment to making an impact.

Innovation That Runs Deep – And Goes Beyond

Reflecting on these amazing recognitions, it is clear to me that our wins as an organization are tied to two critical factors: the innovative mindset that runs deep in our DNA as a company, and our fearless team members who boldly bring their best, most creative selves to their roles – from our data science and technology groups, to our warehouse crews on the floor, and everywhere in between.

Thank you to Lineage team members around the world who innovate to delight our customers, who innovate to push the boundaries of the temperature-controlled logistics industry, and who innovate to be a force for good in our communities.

Now let’s go feed the world!

Congratulations,

Greg