When industry veteran Jim Schultz took the reins of Green Wave Ingredients (GWI) on June 1, he wanted the world to know that the new company is indeed the Ingredients Superstore, just as its motto suggests.

Schultz should know. With C-level experience spanning three decades, he began his career with a 20-year tenure at Univar, where he undertook various management and executive positions that led to substantial company growth. Later, having been recruited by Brenntag, for the next 10 years he played a key role in driving the company’s new acquisitions and established global supply chains with an emphasis in China. Carrying an impressive and lengthy industry resume, Mr. Schultz holds a perspective few others possess that completely understands the changing landscape of the competitive ingredients distribution industry.

“There are tons of choices, or should I say ‘kilos of choices’,” Schultz quipped. “But truly, our customer base is sophisticated, knowledgeable, and very demanding. Therefore, we made the decision to have a long-term vision of being different—to be all things for all of our customers. Like competitive pricing, transparent customer/supplier relationships, unparalleled customer service, and being the only distributor with over 200 products in stock, and ready to ship today!”

As GWI’s CEO, Mr. Schultz will be responsible for the company’s operations, branding, supply chain management, and financials. He is a graduate of Cal Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, where he earned a scholarship and played point guard for the basketball team. He majored in Business Management, and later went on to obtain his MBA. In his spare time, Mr. Schultz is a family man who participates in competitive sports and other outdoor activities with his longtime wife and three children.

But, as of now, the spare time is scarce. “The mission and vision are clear. To live up to our name and slogan, we simply need to work hard and keep our eyes on the prize. And the prize is simple: keep your customers satisfied and coming back for more,” Schultz concluded.