In this interview, Randy Clapsadl, President of Morris, tells us more about his career beginnings, how he worked his way up from Project Manager to President, and how he likes to spend his time outside of the office.
Hi Randy, thank you for sitting down with me to discuss your background as well as how Morris is changing the thermal solutions industry. To start, where did you grow up?
I grew up in Eastern North Carolina near the coast about 2 hours north of Wilmington, in Newport, NC.
Where did you go to school?
I went to UNC-Wilmington where I received a degree in Chemistry. Later, I received my MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke.
When did you develop an interest in the poultry and thermal processing industry?
Well, I’ve always enjoyed the process of manufacturing. Seeing machines and equipment being constructed from nothing more than a drawing and raw materials is very satisfying. This is what drew me to the business in the first place. Once I joined Morris, my eyes were opened to the poultry and thermal processing industries and I realized that through engineering and manufacturing, we could make a difference in the world.
What did you do before joining the Morris team?
I worked for the Wal-Mart home office in the store planning and setup division. It was a field job that was 100% travel. I learned a lot in my years there, but the constant travel led me to look for a company that would allow me to put down roots in my home state. I discovered Morris and the interesting work they were doing and loved the Raleigh area, so I decided to make a career change.
And when did you start with Morris?
I started in 2008 as a project manager. I worked each day to learn as much as I could about every aspect of the company. Project management is a great place to acquire knowledge about a business since it involves nearly every aspect of an operation from manufacturing and design to customer and end-user interactions. Over the years I have had roles as Director of Business Operations, Executive General Manager, Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer, and finally, President where I’ve served since 2022.
What would you say is your job description?
As President, I oversee all daily global operations at Morris but also work to execute longer term plans and goals that are set forth by our CEO and Board of Directors. Working alongside that group to develop long term plans is part of my job, and my day-to-day duty is overseeing the VPs in each division of the company. I ensure that our company leadership is working in tandem and making progress toward our long-term objectives. Keeping the company on track to meet our 3, 5, and 10 year vision is also a critical part of my current responsibility. This role is also intensive on the “people” side of the business and encouraging a positive corporate culture is another aspect of my current position. Our people are one of our most valuable assets – without good people that care about the outcome, we would never have been able to accomplish all that we have done so far and all that we have planned for the future. I also travel to various customer locations throughout the world to ensure that we are bringing value to their operations.
How would you describe the poultry industry?
The U.S. poultry industry is a pretty close-knit group that is committed to feeding the country and to some degree, the world. I would describe Morris as adjacent to the agriculture industry and a lot of hard work goes into standing out from the crowd. Despite strong competition in this area, this industry is a group of companies that understands their responsibility to provide a significant component of the nation’s food supply and they work toward that vital goal relentlessly. The live production operations are a fairly small group of companies providing food for the US and the world which is quite amazing. At Morris we are committed to providing top performing equipment, service and solutions to global poultry processors.
What is your favorite thing about this industry?
I say it all the time, but I love to see how things are made. I like the engineering aspect of what Morris does on a day-to-day basis and take great pride in seeing what our engineers can design and our craftsmen can build. Outside of manufacturing, I’ve come to appreciate the impact Morris has on the world. Poultry feeds a lot of people globally and as economies develop, the need for increased food safety and shelf life becomes essential.
What attracted you to Morris?
When I interviewed with Morris, I immediately noticed a variety of talent in the building which sets this company apart from other similar operations. There were experts in pressure vessels and welding and professional engineers with deep subject matter knowledge. In addition, I met long-term experienced buyers and international salespeople. This wide range of talent under one roof in what was, at the time, a small company was impressive. Beyond that, Morris was a company that had been around for 60 years and was committed to innovation and growth. Today, we’ve evolved and used our knowledge and experience around thermal transfer to provide unique solutions to industries such as nuclear power. Our unlimited potential makes me confident that I made the right decision.
Describe the company culture at Morris.
Morris feels like a family that is working to improve and evolve our company every day. If a business can grow a healthy culture and everyone knows the mission, it’s amazing to see what can be accomplished. The way each Morris team member strives for excellence is remarkable. It’s a challenge to build a good culture within a company and it requires constant commitment to maintain. We work at this relentlessly, and it is critical to the long term success of the organization.
What motivates you?
I’m challenged every day to ensure that Morris continues to design and build world-class equipment and solutions for our customers. Conceiving novel approaches to current problems and anticipating challenges that our customers will face in the future is what makes coming to work every day rewarding. Walking through the manufacturing floor, seeing new designs come to life and visiting our customers and installed equipment in the field motivates me. We understand that if we don’t continue to strive for excellence in any area, whether it be customer service, design, or execution of our policies, then the business becomes mediocre, and mediocrity doesn’t help our customers or our culture. Complacency kills companies, so we’re constantly innovating and putting forth amazing work.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Our emergence in the global poultry market has been a huge point of pride. We’re providing the means to make food safer and more available in emerging markets as the middle class expands globally. Providing solutions in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin and South America has been key for our growth as a company, but more importantly for food equity around the world. We’re helping countries provide for their people rather than relying on other countries for import of their entire food supply.
What are your strongest qualities that makes you a fit for your position?
I am an extrovert so I enjoy walking around and talking to our team. We have worked tirelessly to create a culture with as flat a management structure as possible. In doing that we have built an environment that is open and transparent. Any Morris employee is free to walk into anybody’s office and not feel like they’re breaking the chain of command. Interaction between employees is the only way we can grow and to be honest, I’d go crazy if I just shut my door and never talked to anybody. I try to be as approachable as possible both to our customers as well as our internal employees because without a strong company culture and good customer relationships, we can’t rise to the occasion for them.
What advice would you give to someone starting at Morris?
If they’ve worked at other companies, they will immediately see a difference in terms of how we execute as well as the family feel of our company. There are very few businesses that have survived for 75 years so this is a place to grow a career. Being a long-term employee at Morris is a point of pride as evidenced by the 25% of our employees that have been here for 10 years or more. We constantly work to invest in people that stay. When we hire someone, we commit to them that we want them to be with us for the long-term, and we expect the same. Give 100% effort from day 1 and your hard work will pay off.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I have a young family so when I leave the office I want to spend as much time as I can with them. We love heading back to the coast as often as possible since my wife and I grew up there. Wilmington, NC is like a 2nd home to us. Until I was 22, I was constantly smelling salt air, so any time spent on the water is good with us.
What’s a fun fact about you that people at Morris may not know?
I worked for 6 years on a tour boat in high school and college. During the winters we would perform maintenance and repairs on the boat and in the summer, one of my jobs was to narrate the tours in the afternoons. It was a great job that taught me a lot about the value of hard work and the importance of good customer service. I still remember some parts of the narration!
Thanks for your time today, Randy.
Any time.