MEAT+POULTRY - August 2024 - 35

brands use us to support all their R&D efforts
as far as how to launch. We have to figure out
not just how to make it but also how to make
it at scale and be efficient when we make it
because we can't slow down and create a
bottleneck with some decision we make. "
With such significant growth, Bormann
breaks down his success and what guides him
as the executive of Western Smokehouse.
" My advice is, do you believe in your
market, and do you have the relationship with
your customers to believe what they believe
that there is growth and are they going to
trust you to sign up for more commitment? "
Bormann said. " You have to believe in the
market. You have to have a good read on the
market to know you need that expansion and
take that leap because it's always a big bet. "
FIND THE RIGHT PARTNERS
Since assuming the role of CEO in 2021,
Bormann has valued making suitable
acquisitions and knowing which businesses
will integrate into Western Smokehouse
Partners' existing operations.
Finding the successes of something like
Burlington can now be applied to Bormann and
the rest of his team at Western Smokehouse as
the company moves into another growth phase.
" It starts with selection both on location and
the partner you have, and you make the right
selection and then it's having a story around the
culture, " Bormann said of partnerships. " One of
my biggest fears as we continue to grow is that
we're going to lose the culture. That's what we
fight against every day, is to keep that small feel
of the company, still keep that family-owned
mentality as much as we can. "
After that part of the conversation,
Bormann discussed how strong leadership at
each facility allows businesses to stay even
when demand expansion continues.
" We want that plant manager to really be
the owner of the four walls, " Bormann said of
each facility. " I may show up, meet everyone
and talk to everyone, but we want to know
that that's the person who kind of leads the
tone for the site. We make sure that's the right
person, and we have great ones at every single
location we have, but they're the ones that
keep that feel. We're here to support these
great plant managers, these great plant teams,
and that's kind of been our model of how we
keep that culture - is decentralized ownership
of the plants. "
Western Smokehouse Partners now
runs five facilities throughout its meat
snack network, with about 900 employees
and more than 500,000 square feet of meat
snack capacity.
Even with all these recent major moves,
Bormann and Western Smokehouse are making
it clear that it's only a chapter in a longer
company story.
" This is not the final step of the journey, "
Bormann said. " We're still at the middle point
in our journey, and we see opportunity in this
market to continue to grow rapidly. And we
plan to continue to invest and grow rapidly in
this industry. "
www.meatpoultry.com | 08.24 | MEAT+POULTRY 35
" One of my
biggest
fears as we
continue to
grow is that
we're going
to lose the
culture. "
- MATT BORMANN
http://www.meatpoultry.com
MEAT+POULTRY - August 2024

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