Over 100 cold chain professionals turned their tassels last month as the latest graduates of the Cold Chain Institute.

Founded in 1965, and known by various names over the years, the Institute is supported by Global Cold Chain Foundation (GCCF), the Global Cold Chain Alliance’s arm for education, training, research and technical information.

GCCF is led by a Board of Governors who strive to ensure the foundation provides cold chain research and training to the industry globally while also supporting the growth of temperature-controlled logistics in developing countries. The foundation also has a Scientific Advisory Council comprised of experts in areas of importance to the temperature-controlled logistics industry, including food science/toxicology, refrigeration systems, engineering, packing, transportation, operations, logistics and others.

“For the last 60 years it's been taught by members of the cold chain industry to other members of the cold chain industry,” said Adam Thocher, senior vice president of global programs & insights at GCCA and executive director, GCCF. “The unique thing is that it is competitors talking to the competitors about how to make their businesses better and more efficient – and that's just not something you see every day.”

Jennifer E. Holsten, an operations manager at Americold Appleton and Green Bay, Wisconsin, was among the 2025 grads.

“I was motivated to enter the program because of the opportunity to learn more about a broad range of aspects of the cold chain from renowned experts, and because of the many benefits of joining the unique network of cold chain professionals made up of Cold Chain Institute students, alumni and faculty,” she said. “The financial courses have been excellent, in particular I found the modules on Excel budgets and forecasting information to be really valuable. There was also a lot of great information in the courses related to food safety, which has been incredibly useful in an area that is constantly developing. I have found every single course included new insights or learning that relates to my day-to-day. Final year students also have the benefit of looking forward to an additional Capstone project at the end of the course, where we get to apply the knowledge we have learned in real-world environments, which is a great addition to the institute.”

A new cohort starts the three-year program annually, which requires about a week during each of the three years and covers professional development, scientific and food safety aspects, finance, cyber security and emerging technologies.

“The curriculum builds on each other over the course of those three years. It is more general in the first year, and by the third year the curriculum is much more nuanced because you've been doing the job for three more years. So our goal is by the end of this, everybody walks out of the program with a solid, comprehensive knowledge on how an entire cold chain operation should work,” Thocher said.

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Cold Chain Institute students attend classes over a three-year period, typically for about a week each year. Courtesy GCCA/GCCF Institute.

Paula Lafferty is CEO of SnoTemp Cold Storage, a family-owned temperature-controlled warehousing business with facilities in Eugene and Albany, Oregon. She graduated from the Cold Chain Institute in 2015.

“I began the three-year Cold Chain Institute course in 2012, in Atlanta. However, due to an ice storm that caused a one-year postponement, I graduated in 2015. I was in the same starting cohort as Justin Brandt, now a Global Cold Chain Foundation Governor at Large, and he still gives me a hard time for graduating late,” Lafferty said. “When I started working at SnoTemp, our family cold storage business, it was small enough that I had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in multiple areas, particularly in the office and accounting departments. By 2012, our plant managers had been attending the Cold Chain Institute courses in Norman, Oklahoma, for years. When the program moved to Atlanta, the time was right for me to enhance my understanding and expand my expertise in the industry.”

Lafferty began teaching as a member of the faculty five years ago.

“I learned from some fantastic instructors whose teaching had a lasting impact on me. Ken Osean led an insightful classes on managing workplace attitude, which was not only useful in a professional setting but also in everyday life. I also gained valuable insights from the financial courses taught by Eben James from Trenton Cold. Despite my experience in our accounting department, attending these classes gave me a fresh perspective. It’s a great reminder that no matter how much expertise we think we have in refrigeration, accounting, or any other specialty, there’s always something new to learn—often in the most unexpected moments,” Lafferty said. “When Eben James decided to reduce his teaching commitments, I offered to co-teach the financial courses with him in 2020. Since then, I have continued to teach in areas where I can offer valuable expertise, including financial courses and the Feedback and Coaching course. This year, I’m also teaching the Effective Presentations module.”

The institute is open to anyone working in the cold chain.

“There really isn't a typical student anymore. If we were to look back 15 years, the program really focused on the operators. The nature of the businesses have changed. While we used to teach a class called forklift safety, that's not something that is necessary anymore – every single company has a forklift safety program now. We have so many different participants nowadays – from HR or process improvement to finance to members of executive teams who may have come from outside of the industry and are taking their first role in cold chain,” Thocher said. “Having the opportunity to send people to a program like this and keep them for three, five, 10 years or even an entire career, has meant a lot to people across the industry.”

 With 50% of GCCA members Based outside of the U.S., they now offer similar institutes in Mexico City (Spanish), Australia, Europe and Sao Paulo (Portuguese) and are exploring ways to bring the program to Africa, Thocher said.

Lafferty called the Cold Chain Institute an “incredible opportunity.”

“Attending the Cold Chain Institute provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the cold chain industry. The knowledge I gained has been invaluable throughout my career, and the relationships I built with fellow attendees and faculty have been just as impactful. Many of those connections remain strong to this day and are a key reason I now teach at the institute,” she said. “One of the unique aspects of the Cold Chain Institute is how it brings together professionals from a diverse range of industry roles. No matter your expertise, attending with a learning mindset allows you to gain valuable insights and fresh ideas from every course.”

Holsten said the experience is already benefitting her professional development.

“The institute’s strong connections across the industry are also allowing me to network with key people in the cold storage industry and I have a great opportunity now to build on the introductions made through the institute. There is a lot of knowledge and many new learning tools that I have been able to take back and use in my current role. Learning with my cohort at the institute by sharing knowledge and getting feedback has given me experiences and connections that I plan to take forward in my career.”

Get more information on the Cold Chain Institute.