As president and CEO of Valentine Enterprises, a leading manufacturer of nutritional powdered supplements, Alan W. Smith leads his team on a mission to, in his words, “make quality products for a healthier world.”
Smith joined Valentine Enterprises in 2006 as vice president of operations, having previously spent 15 years in the food industry in positions at General Mills, Thermo Pac/HJ Heinz and Golden State Foods. He was promoted to his current role at Valentine in 2013.
Under Smith’s leadership, Valentine Enterprises has doubled its manufacturing facilities. The company — which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary — now boasts a state-of-the-art, straight-line production facility with 375,000 square feet of manufacturing space and multiple packaging lines.
Valentine produces a wide variety of protein and dietary supplements, workout meal replacements, superfood greens and other health and wellness products for customers, including Target, Costco and GNC. Its teams are equipped to handle the entire manufacturing process, from product development through packaging.
The company also has a dedicated research and development team charged with formulating new products and flavors. To create its various product lines, Valentine follows strict Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration.
“At Valentine, we believe successful manufacturing requires a commitment to product quality, efficiency and consistency. Our professional and experienced team understands the importance of continuous quality control,” Smith said.
Since joining Valentine, Smith has integrated the use of key performance indicators to help employees see their role in the company’s overall productivity and success. In the next five years, Smith hopes to double the company’s production capacity by adding automation to create greater efficiencies. He also plans to expand its business partnerships with existing and new partner brands.
“Our reputation and relationships within the industry are very important to our growth. Our mantra is that we will be better tomorrow than we were today,” Smith said.
As he continues helping Valentine grow, Smith is committed to preserving the close-knit company culture that’s been part of its foundation since 1972.
“We want to maintain that family feel that we have each other’s backs. We support each other, our clients and our vendors,” Smith said. “While numbers are important, we want to be more than just numbers. My philosophy is, if you have a solid base and good culture, the numbers will take care of themselves.”
When not in the office, Smith enjoys recharging outdoors by hiking, trail running, skiing and playing golf and tennis.
