By Brian J. Grim, Ph.D.
This is part of a daily blog by RFBF President Brian Grim highlighting positive business responses to the pandemic, and part of the COVIDxNOW Global Economic Leaders Consortium, which is seeking to deliver innovative solutions for COVID19
The current crisis is showing opportunities for partnerships that were not previously on many people’s radars, such as between one of the world’s largest food distributors (i.e., the ones who help Walmart and grocery stores keep shelves stocked), Lineage Logistics, and out-of-work NBA MVP Stephen Curry’s NGO Eat. Learn. Play. Read the story of how concern for feeding others led to a rapid and innovative Covid-19 response below.
Steph Curry And The Quiet Food Giant: A Partnership Forms To Combat The Coronavirus Crisis
Chloe Sorvino, Forbes
NBA point guard Steph Curry was probably the last person Greg Lehmkuhl thought of when he faced the threat of a widespread shortage of workers for his $2 billion food logistics business. But as coronavirus fears were racing to a fevered pitch he knew that his company was being thrust into the center of the crisis. He would need an army of workers to handle it.
Lineage Logistics, a mostly unseen giant of the food industry, touches some 30% of America’s food. That’s nearly 30 billion pounds of food annually including 4.7 billion pounds of poultry and 4.5 billion pounds of potatoes. It ships, stores or processes around 8% of the global food supply. Headed its way was the unprecedented demand triggered by widespread coronavirus lockdowns and Lehmkuhl, CEO since 2015, knew that even his 14,000 workers across 290 warehouses in 11 countries wouldn’t be enough.
Read the full story at Forbes.
