Fort Lauderdale employee earns national award

International Bottled Water Association | NEWS RELEASE | November 15, 2016

Fort Lauderdale employee earns national award

Nashville, TN – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) today announced a Fort Lauderdale, Florida employee has won a prestigious Plant Manager of the Year award for 2016.

Brian White, a plant manager with Primo Water North America (Fort Lauderdale, FL), was handed the title at IBWA’s Annual General Meeting as part of the 2016 IBWA Annual Business Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

In making the announcement, IBWA Board Member and Convention Committee Co-Chair Dan Kelly said Mr. White is “highly respected for his demeanor, knowledge, and performance—and for his ability to create a team that is proud to provide the Fort Lauderdale community with excellent product.”

Mr. White’s accomplishments as a plant manager are numerous, but highlights included the fact that his Fort Lauderdale plant earned the IBWA “excellence in manufacturing” designation each year from 2009 to 2015, scored 100 percent on numerous audits, including the IBWA audit, the DS Services Quality Scorecard, the HACCP and Quality Management System audit, and the Sanitary Section audit,” Mr. Kelly said.

“We should note that Brian has 34 years of experience working in the beverage industry,” he said.

“Brian has excelled in all facets of plant leadership, a fact that has helped his Fort Lauderdale plant rank in the top 10 percent in every category, from quality and cost to on-time delivery and safety to inventory control and line efficiency.

“In addition, Brian has been a peer coach and is often called upon to assist other plant managers across the United States.

“His boss notes that he often receives compliments on Brian’s ability to improve the customer satisfaction experience for both internal and external customers.

“Brian White is a model plant manager and is well deserving of the title Plant Manager of the Year,” said Mr. Kelly.

Since 1963, IBWA has been recognizing the contributions and achievements of bottled water professionals. The IBWA Plant Manager of the Year Award acknowledges the hard work and dedication that these individuals exemplify to their companies and the bottled water industry. The plant manager makes a tremendous impact in achieving business goals and objectives for each bottler member of IBWA. It is the plant manager who makes sure, on a daily basis, that bottled water is a high quality and safe product for consumers and customers.

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NOTE: Photos/head shots available upon request

Media Contact:
Jill Culora
jculora@bottledwater.org
703.647.4609

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.  

In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.  

IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.