The new facility cut production costs two ways: • Package more supplements inhouse, and • The proprietary encapsulation design allowed the soft gel to dry in 12-15 hours, as opposed to the industry standard of 5-7 days. “It’s a good feeling, because I always had that in my brain to do, and finally I found someone who
would listen to me,” Puckett said. “So I did it and it worked…better than I imagined.” As Barlean’s Organic Oils filed permits to build their new 15,000-square-foot facility, Puckett loaded up his family in the car and headed west. Bruce Barlean would be responsible for the vision, and Puckett would be responsible for the technical
Professional Woman of the Year:
Karen Barlean, CFO By Lydia Love Karen Barlean said it came as a shock to her when she learned she had been nominated for a prestigious award. And the shock waves continued when Whatcom Women in Business named her as the 2013 Professional Woman of the Year. She is chief financial officer of the large Ferndale family business of Barlean’s Organic Oils. Barlean became the 31st professional woman chosen by the Whatcom Women in Business. “I think I forget sometimes that I’m a real grownup now, with lots of work experiences to share with other women in the startup phase of their career,” Barlean said. “This award is a good reminder to be open to
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opportunities to assist others. While this is a great honor, the work by no means stops here.” Lynne Henifin, 2013 president of Whatcom Women in Business, said Barlean has shown outstanding leadership and business knowledge in building and helping grow Barlean’s Organic Oils. “She has dedicated countless hours to many organizations within our community and she has been a mentor to many, leading through example and supporting those who needed her help,” Henifin said. Some of the qualities the Whatcom Women in Business look for in their candidates include strong leadership, business acumen, mentoring, professionalism, and an involvement with the community. “I’ve seen too many businesses and people win awards and then tank within the year, so it’s not something you can’t take a loan against,” Barlean said. “Life still requires just as much hard work tomorrow as it did yesterday.” Barlean remembered a time recently when she looked at the parking lot at work and noticed their employee count had doubled from 70 to 140 in about a year. Her feelings of satisfaction weren’t about the sales or the profitability of the company, but came from the fact that her own family business had created so many jobs in Ferndale. And that’s what keeps her smiling.
aspects of the project. Puckett also brought his expertise in dealing with raw material providers and equipment manufacturers in one stop with no middlemen. The end result has been a 40-50 percent reduction in costs by cutting manufacturing time, number of people, materials, and equipment. “What some companies need 10,000 square feet to do, we can now do in 5,000,” Bruce said. “We can do it in half the space, twice as fast, and produce a product of better quality.” It also allowed them to increase their production capacity and to respond quickly to spikes in demand, as required by some of their larger private labeling clients. Puckett’s knowledge of pharmaceutical and dietary supplement regulations helped raise Barlean’s new manufacturing to pharmaceutical grade level that allows them to do business with Fortune 500 companies.
“When we were growing up, we didn’t have much. But God has been really good to us and we basically just want to be able to help others now, in whatever way that is.” Bruce Barlean, Owner
“We’ve plowed a lot of capital dollars back into the facility and into purchasing equipment to allow us to sustain the growth,” Puckett said. “That’s been the most gratifying part, seeing that we can sustain our growth. Whether it’s 10 percent or 30 percent we can prove to customers, including Fortune 500 companies, that if their sales grow, we can grow with them.” Barlean’s Organic Oils operates in about 120,000 square feet of production and storage