Purposeful Leadership, Resilience & Building High-Performance Teams with Ron Dunford

What does it take to build a high-performing culture, inspire people, and lead with purpose?

In this episode of Crave – The IFDA Podcast, host Julien LeBlanc sits down with Ron Dunford, CEO of Schreiber Foods, for an inspiring conversation on leadership, resilience, personal growth, and the future of food distribution.

Ron shares lessons from more than four decades of leadership, explaining why great leaders dream big, embrace difficult challenges, invest in people, and never stop learning. Drawing from experiences ranging from Ironman competitions to mountain climbing, nonprofit work, and leading one of the world’s largest employee-owned food manufacturers, Ron reveals practical leadership principles that apply far beyond business.

Together, they discuss building meaningful workplace culture, servant leadership, emotional intelligence, customer obsession, innovation, AI, mentorship, and why doing hard things builds stronger leaders.

Whether you’re leading a food distribution company, managing a team, or simply looking to become a better leader, this conversation is filled with actionable insights that will challenge the way you think about success.

Topics Covered in This Episode

• 00:00-00:57 Introduction: Dream Big, Leadership & Lifelong Learning
• 00:57-03:50 Meet Ron Dunford: CEO of Schreiber Foods, Adventure Seeker & Grandfather
• 03:50-08:28 Ironman Racing, Kilimanjaro & Leadership Lessons from Climbing Mountains
• 08:28-11:11 Resilience, Failure, Dreaming Bigger & Learning Through Setbacks
• 11:11-15:35 Why Schreiber Foods Calls Employees “Partners” & Building a Strong Culture
• 15:35-17:35 Roger Federer, Winning, Losing & Leadership Principles
• 17:35-22:34 Dream Big, Take Action, Do Good & Why Leaders Should Do Hard Things
• 22:34-24:22 Servant Leadership, Sweeping the Shed & Organizational Humility
• 24:22-26:13 Passionate Partners, Customer Obsession & Building Culture Through Execution
• 26:13-29:16 Innovation, Impact vs. Outcomes & Long Term Thinking
• 29:16-31:28 The World Is Your Library: Leadership Lessons from Kobe Bryant
• 31:28-35:12 AI, Leadership & The Future of Food Manufacturing
• 35:12-39:22 Plus Ultra: Going Further Beyond & The Power of Symbols
• 39:22-40:24 Personal Growth, Curiosity & Learning from Experience
• 40:24-44:20 Books, Habits, Peak Days & Building a Better Life
• 44:20-47:40 Why the Food Industry Matters & Creating Meaningful Experiences
• 47:40-50:02 One Word That Defines Ron Dunford’s Leadership: Elevate
• 50:02-50:47 Final Leadership Advice: Dream Big, Expect Success & Do Good

More About Our Guest

Ron Dunford,
CEO of Schreiber Foods

Ron Dunford is the Chief Executive Officer of Schreiber Foods, a global food company generating more than $7 billion in annual sales and employing more than 10,000 people across five continents. He joined Schreiber Foods in 1996 and was named Schreiber’s eighth President and CEO in 2019.

Ron has spent more than four decades in the dairy industry. Throughout the years, he has served in a wide range of leadership roles including Plant Manager, Vice President, Senior Vice President, President & COO of Chain Sales, President & COO of Operations, and President of Schreiber U.S. He has also served on the Schreiber Foods Board of Directors since 2003. Throughout his career, Ron has treated leadership not as a title, but as a
discipline—one that must be studied, practiced, and lived every day.

Beyond Schreiber, Ron’s influence extends across industry, education, and community service. He is a Founder’s Board Member of the Steven R. Covey Leadership Center at Utah State University and serves on the boards of the International Dairy Foods Association and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, where he is Vice Chair of the Executive Committee and Vice Chair of Food Safety. He previously served as Chairman of the National Cheese Institute and remains actively involved in nonprofit organizations focused on service and community impact.

A lifelong learner and advocate for leadership development, Ron believes the greatest responsibility of leadership is helping others achieve their potential. Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, hiking, and biking in the mountains and challenging himself physically, including completing three Ironman triathlons. Ron earned a B.S. in Geology from Utah State University. He and his wife, Dana, have two married sons and five grandchildren, who are his greatest source of joy and inspiration.