Lawrence V. Thompson

Operations Manager
PepsiCo · Full-timePepsiCo · Full-time

Beaverton, OregonBeaverton, Oregon
Operations Manager
PepsiCo Food Systems | Beaverton, OR
1994 – 1996

Recognized as Top Operations Manager (Warehousing) out of 32 national PFS locations in GAP performance analysis.

Led warehouse, shipping, and receiving operations for PepsiCo’s largest U.S. food-service distribution center, supporting 1,000+ stores across six states. Oversaw daily activity across 85,000 sq. ft. of refrigerated and dry transport docks (10 refrigerated, 16 dry), managing $4M in inventory across 1,000+ SKUs.

Maintained 100% delivery fulfillment during a region-wide ice storm that crippled the transportation sector for three days.

Sustained full operational integrity during a 34-hour electrical outage, leveraging contingency planning and frontline coordination.

Managed a team of 36 warehouse staff and drivers while streamlining dock operations and ensuring compliance with PepsiCo's national quality standards.

• Managed daily routing, loading, and inventory logistics for Northern California’s PepsiCo distribution operations. Oversaw all route truck deliveries, interfacility trailer movements, overseas container loading, and inventory audits across bottling, canning, and satellite warehouses.
• Controlled warehouse physical counts and monthly cycle inventory to meet strict PFS service level and accuracy targets.
• Led cross-dock operations for shipping from multiple Northern California production sites to the Oakland port and other distribution nodes.
• Resolved problems, improved operations, and provided exceptional service.
• Managed time efficiently to complete all tasks within deadlines.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in managing projects from concept to completion.
• Skilled at working independently and collaboratively in a team environment.

• Directed plastic bottle production line operations and R&D initiatives for All Sport beverage products. Supervised tooling design and prototype development for wide-mouth filler necks and base supports on 12oz, 16oz, and 32oz containers.
• Spearheaded the successful pilot and scale-up of recyclable bulk packaging in 16oz bottle production.
• Established clear priorities and production quality standards.
• Achieved the on-time shipments goal by empowering employees to achieve success.
• Trained staff of direct labor employees to perform assembly and manufacture of specified products.
• Prepared in advance for and addressed production problems, material deficits, equipment failures, and unavoidable delays.

• Company Overview: Tier 1 Automotive Supplier to Telsa
• Responsible for 3 Quality Engineers, 2 Quality Supervisors, 2 CMM Programmers and 1 CMM Technician.
• Leads daily Fast Response meeting covering Supplier Corrective Action Responses (SCAR), Problem Controls, Third party sorts, and internal sorts.
• Accountable for Layered Process Audits (LPA), Scrap Process Audits (SPA), and all 3rd party invoicing and on time payments.
• Weekly A3 reports covering Unplanned Scrap, Customer Complaints, Internal Sort/Rework, Not OK Inventory, Indirect Labor, and 3rd Party Sorts.
• Ensured weekly and monthly customer part Roamer Arm scans and CMM data analysis to verify all parts are within Tesla dimensional tolerances.
• Tier 1 Automotive Supplier to Telsa

• Company Overview: Additive manufacture in both Metals and Plastic 3D Printing for Space, Aerospace, Medical, Oil, Military, and Defense
• Staff member to the President and CEO.
• Ensured safe methods and practices existed and were followed. Over 1400 accident-free days.
• Responsible for the highest revenue months in the company’s history.
• Established visual routers and coordinated the CNC machine shop throughput flow strategy.
• Lead daily Gemba walks, established accountability boards throughout operations shop floor.
• Multiple site responsibility of daily operations.
• Accountable for Weekly, Monthly and Quarterly Operations reviews.
• Additive manufacture in both Metals and Plastic 3D Printing for Space, Aerospace, Medical, Oil, Military, and Defense

• Company Overview: Manufacture of tracked explosive ordnance robots for Military and Police, and systems integration for Medical, Aerospace and Defense.
• Staff member to the Senior Operations Director of Systems Integration and Vice President of Engineering and Quality.
• Manufacture of tracked explosive ordnance robots for Military and Police, and systems integration for Medical, Aerospace and Defense.

• Company Overview: Global supplier of complete cab systems for heavy-duty truck, construction and agricultural equipment markets including the specialty and military transportation markets.
• Staff member to the Vice President of Continuous Improvement for CVG in a matrix organization supporting multiple plants in the Trim and Electrical Harness Division.
• Global supplier of complete cab systems for heavy-duty truck, construction and agricultural equipment markets including the specialty and military transportation markets.

• Company Overview: Lean and Six Sigma Consulting Company
• External Consultant /Travel 90%.
• Canton Ingot Works.
• Reported to Vice President of Forging Operations, Director of Forging and Plant Manager.
• Ply Gem & Simonton Windows.
• Worked with the Director of Operations and Plant Manager in their West Virginia facility.
• Alcoa & Arconic.
• Reported directly to the Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Engineered Products.
• Lean and Six Sigma Consulting Company

• Company Overview: Provider of Titanium Sheet, Plate Oil & Gas Energy Pipe, and Aerospace Forgings.
• Business Excellence Group/Business Transformation/Travel 80% /Multiple sites.
• Demand to Supply (DTS) Business Transformation Process Owner for a global supply chain in Alcoa Titanium Engineered Products (ATEP).
• Focused on standardizing ERP system with SAP in global supply chain project from rolling mill to secondary operations and distribution centers.
• Provider of Titanium Sheet, Plate Oil & Gas Energy Pipe, and Aerospace Forgings.

• Company Overview: Provider of Oil & Gas Energy Pipe and Aerospace Forgings.
• Built and led Process Engineering and Continuous Improvement teams for Energy and Aerospace Divisions at Houston, TX facility.
• Certification by Villanova University for Lean, Green and Black Belts and hands on shop floor Kaizens, integrating classroom instruction.
• Provider of Oil & Gas Energy Pipe and Aerospace Forgings.

• Company Overview: World-leading provider of Seamless Rolled Rings, Forgings and Specialty Metals to primarily Aerospace market.
• Charged with Project Management of New Product Introduction process employed by Inside Sales and Manufacturing for largest ring in plant history.
• Managed new process development, TPM training, plant NIP system, and departmental communications, ensuring venture was delivered on-time and within budget.
• Reported to Divisional Vice President.
• World-leading provider of Seamless Rolled Rings, Forgings and Specialty Metals to primarily Aerospace market.

• Company Overview: Major chicken processing company with annual sales in excess of $4.6B.
• Recruited as 1st of 5 Continuous Improvement Managers companywide spearheading and establishing corporate Lean culture and Proof of Concept for cooking and packaging facility, producing 30,000 pounds per hour of poultry across 3 production lines.
• Led training classes in 5S, Root Cause Analysis, Kaizens, and Perdue Business Improvement Process.
• Implemented data analysis, establishing base line improvements between teams, and created 5S and Operation/Maintenance down time root cause analysis teams.
• Collaborated with Quality Assurance Department, identifying, tracking, and reducing foreign material findings.
• Major chicken processing company with annual sales in excess of $4.6B.

• Company Overview: World’s leading high-volume producer of ferrous investment castings.
• Six Sigma Black Belt, Ferrous Division.
• Corporate Manager, Manufacturing Systems Engineering.
• Rapidly promoted to high-visibility position overseeing development and deployment of corporate initiatives to drive process change and continuous improvement.
• Led and coached Total Preventive Maintenance (TPM) teams in 2 divisions and 3 separate plants through tenure.
• Managed Kaizen operational and transactional mandates which included mandate reviews, team member agreement, and leader and sponsor identification.
• Integral in Layered Process Audits and defining Six Sigma Close Out project documentation and hand-off material for Quality Department audits.
• World’s leading high-volume producer of ferrous investment castings.