Jim Caesar, Regional Vice President
Years with Opus: 20 years
Project Credits: Fresh Express Food Processing Facility, The Fresh Market Center & many more
Article: How Fresh Ideas, New Perspectives Revitalize Cold Storage Construction Industry [Refrigerated & Frozen Foods]
Key Points
- On how the election will impact the industry: Governmental gridlock can be good for business because it limits uncertainty for many different types of businesses and uncertainty can stifle aggressive investing. Elections bring new administrations, new legislation, tax laws, business regulations and tariffs or trade agreements, which can put businesses into a holding pattern as they wait for clarity in a changing business environment.
- On millennials in the industry: Millennials tend to be more focused on sustainability, nutrition, organic and local sourcing than previous generations. We are seeing the grocery stores changing to meet this market with new brands, new presentations, new products and new branding. With so much change in the industry, the food processors and cold storage logistics providers are being more open-minded with their building requirements and looking for suggestions from the building community rather than single-sourcing the design to one set of consultants. Millennials pushing for new products in the marketplace are forcing new ideas in the building and engineering sectors.