News & Insights
VIDEO: Sustainability in food and beverage
Why this matters now
Food and beverage manufacturers are being asked to cut emissions, conserve water, and reduce waste while protecting throughput and margin. Customer scorecards, retailer requirements, and incoming reporting rules are turning sustainability from a corporate narrative into a procurement and operations conversation. At the same time, energy and water costs are rising in many regions, and aging utilities inside plants are limiting what operations teams can do without capital investment.
What leaders are weighing
Plant leaders are deciding how far to push process changes before they affect product quality, line speed, or sanitation protocols. They are weighing the cost of upgrading boilers, refrigeration systems, and wastewater systems against the risk of falling short of customer expectations. Many sites carry decades of incremental additions, making it difficult to layer a clean sustainability strategy on top. There is also tension between corporate sustainability teams setting targets and plant teams who must hit production numbers every shift. Capital is limited, payback windows are tight, and the most impactful projects often touch the most sensitive parts of the process.
How Salas O’Brien is helping clients respond
Our food and beverage teams help clients translate sustainability goals into plant-level engineering decisions. We assess utilities, process loads, and water and energy flows to find practical reductions that do not compromise product quality or safety. We help leaders prioritize refrigeration upgrades, heat recovery, wastewater improvements, and on-site generation, and sequence investments around production schedules. The goal is fewer surprises, better paybacks, and a credible story for customers and regulators. Hear Valérie Lafrenière, John Murphy, Tim Burnham, John Glenski, and Dennis Romak share what they are seeing across the industry.
Valérie LaFrenière, ENG
Valérie Lafrenière, ENG, is a mechanical engineer by trade, with a master’s degree in management and 20 years of experience in the food industry. Valérie supervises our teams of packaging, designers and building experts. As Manager, her mission is to ensure the quality of the services offered both at the technical and project management levels. Valérie serves as a Managing Principal at Salas O’Brien. Contact her at [email protected].
John Murphy
John Murphy leads a team of automation and robotics experts delivering practical solutions across food and beverage, consumer goods, paper, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. With more than 25 years of experience, he combines plant-floor perspective with engineering leadership. He began his career at a Fortune 500 manufacturer as a papermaking project engineer and later an electrical maintenance leader—experience that grounds his work in real-world operations and commissioning. John guides teams through complex automation projects from concept to startup, helping clients adapt to evolving technologies while improving reliability and performance. John serves as a Managing Principal at Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected].
Tim Burnham,PE, PMP
Tim Burnham leads Salas O’Brien’s industrial and manufacturing group with offices in Columbus and Cincinnati OH; Richardson (Dallas, TX); Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Nashville TN; Evansville and Hammond, IN; and Atlanta GA. His experience with lean manufacturing, Kaizen techniques, and industrial processes helps him serve clients in manufacturing, bulk material handling, and related process industries. He serves as a Senior Managing Principal for Salas O’Brien.
John Glenski, CPM
John Glenski is a leader in digital transformation in the industrial sector with a demonstrated history of providing data-driven outcomes for the world’s largest manufacturers. John works collaboratively with internal and external partners to deliver innovative solutions for smart manufacturing (automation, material handling, and data/information solutions) with a focus on sustainable applications. John serves as a Principal & Senior Director of Automation & Digital at Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected].
Dennis Romak
Dennis Romak has decades of experience in sales and marketing, working specifically with the pharmaceutical, chemical, automotive, food & beverage, industrial, agribusiness, and consumer product industries. He is experienced in leading cross-functional teams to significant sales growth and delivers long-lasting customer relationships through outstanding service. He serves as Principal and Senior Director of Business Development for Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected].