Gary Hirshberg
Gary Hirshberg is chairman and former president and CEO of Stonyfield Farm, an organic yogurt producer, based in Londonderry, New Hampshire. He has been with the company since 1983.
He was mentioned at the time as a possible 2008 Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate against New Hampshire's junior U.S. Senator John E. Sununu.[1]
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Education
Gary Hirshberg was one of the first graduates of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He was also one of the first graduates of The Derryfield School in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Work history
In the early 1980s Hirshberg joined the Board of The Rural Education Center (TREC), the small organic farming school from which Stonyfield was spawned. Previously, in addition to serving as a trustee of the farming school, he had served as executive director of the New Alchemy Institute, a research and education center dedicated to organic farming, aquaculture and renewable energy.
In 2005, Hirshberg was named managing director of Stonyfield Europe, a joint venture between Groupe Danone and Stonyfield Farm, with brands in Ireland, the UK and France.
A New Hampshire native, Hirshberg has received six honorary doctorates and won numerous awards for corporate and environmental leadership. He serves on several corporate and non-profit boards including Honest Tea, Sambazon, Peak Organic Brewing Company, Solera Capital, RAMP Sports, and Climate Counts. He is also the chairman and co-founder of O’Naturals, a chain of natural fast food restaurants.
On January 12, 2012, Hirshberg stepped down from his position as CEO of Stonyfield Farm, naming former Ben & Jerry's CEO Walt Freese as his successor.[2] Hirshberg remains Chairman of the board of directors at Stonyfield.
Publications
Published in January 2008, "Stirring it Up" is a book about socially minded business that calls on individuals to realize their power to make a difference in the marketplace, while doing business in ways that adhere to a multiple bottom line - one that takes into consideration not only finance, but the environment and health as well.
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Personal life
Hirshberg was born in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1954, attended The Derryfield School for high school and graduated from Hampshire College in 1976. He currently lives with his wife, Meg Hirshberg, and three children in Concord, New Hampshire.
Other Ventures
Hirshberg "conceived of and co-created" O'Natural's, an organic restaurant chain[3]
References
- ↑ http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=The+Granite+Status%3a+Stonyfield+CEO+eyes+Senate+seat&articleId=0c690b42-95dd-43cf-8e05-d40a95a77114
- ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "Stonyfield CEO steps down to focus on advocacy work, GMO labeling." 13 January 2012. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-13/features/chi-stonyfield-ceo-steps-down-to-20120113_1_alfalfa-gary-hirshberg-food.
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External links
- Stonyfield Farm Company Bio
- Stirring it Up Book Review by Raz Godelnik.
- Hitched to Someone Else's Dream, an Inc. Magazine article on Stonyfield's early days by Meg Hirshberg
- Video of discussion with Gary Hirshberg on the organic food industry in Asia at the Asia Society, New York, 11/9/2009
