Dairy products giant Land O'Lakes, Inc., Arden Hills, Minn., said it hired Beth Ford as executive vice president, chief supply chain & operations officer, reporting to Land O'Lakes President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Policinski. Ford most recently was executive vice president, head of supply chain, at International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF).

At IFF, she was responsible for optimizing the company's global manufacturing infrastructure, including consolidation of multiple international facilities, as well as the construction of new manufacturing capabilities in India, China and Singapore. Prior to IFF, she held a progression of supply chain and operations management roles with Mobil Corporation, PepsiCo and Pepsi Bottling Company, Hachette Book Group and Scholastic, Inc.

Bay Grove Capital LLC, San Francisco, purchased a cold storage warehouse in Santa Maria, Calif., according to industry sources. Terms were not disclosed. Officials said the property has 335,000 square feet of cold storage and processing space. Bay Grove’s family of cold storage companie includes Terminal Freezers, Flint River Services, Richmond Cold Storage and West Coast Cold, the parent of CityIce and Seafreeze Cold Storage.

Testa Produce said its Chicago distribution center is the nation's first refrigerated warehouse to receive LEED™ Platinum certification, the highest level granted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  Officials say the 91,000-square-foot operation utilizes a 750kW wind turbine, a partially vegetated roof, solar panels that heat 100 percent of the building's hot water and a sophisticated water reclamation and treatment system.

Combined, these and other features generate an estimated 60 percent savings in energy consumption. Testa Produce supplies frozen, canned, and specialty foods to restaurants, hotels, and institutions throughout Illinois and much of Wisconsin.