When I stepped into the CEO role a year ago, PSSI was navigating a difficult and challenging time in the wake of a 2022 U.S. Department of Labor investigation centered around child labor. Yet, as I outlined my vision and top priorities, I was confident that we would emerge a stronger and better company—and we have.

In one of my first townhall meetings I shared our goal to build the best safety and compliance company in the industry and the team effort necessary to do it. Over the past year, we have made tremendous progress in our compliance efforts and enforcement of our zero-tolerance policy against hiring anyone under the age of 18.

Every PSSI employee—from the boardroom to the facility floor—should be proud of the work we have put in to raise our compliance standards above and beyond those within the industry. PSSI team members have fully supported efforts to enhance compliance including:

• The addition of the new executive Chief Compliance Officer to oversee all compliance efforts
• Our “See Something, Say Something” campaign encouraging team members to speak up if they see anything suspicious
• Enhanced training for employees to minimize the risk of a minor gaining employment and violating our compliance policies

In addition to prioritizing compliance, we have also worked as a team to engage with the communities we work in. We will continue these efforts into the foreseeable future.

We’ve also invested in initiatives aimed at better retention, fostering career growth through promotions, and welcoming new team members. We continue to provide our team members with development opportunities and upgraded training programs, ensuring that they have the tools and skills needed to excel in their roles.

Our dedication to growth has been evident in other areas of the business, including our financial performance. In Q4, we successfully turned around both our top-line and bottom-line growth trajectories, setting the stage for a robust 2024. Our chemical company, Safe Foods Chemical Innovations, has seen remarkable revenue and EBITDA growth, achieving a fivefold increase compared to the previous year with an impressive amount of new business.

Today’s PSSI is a far different company than we were last year; prioritizing compliance has allowed us to become a better partner to the communities we are a part of and to the customers we serve. We couldn’t have reached this apex without our dedicated team members whose hard work and commitment to providing the highest level of customer service never wavered.

I start my second year as CEO much as I began my first: confident in our team to overcome any challenge that arises on our compliance journey and honored to work with such an exceptional team.

– Tim Mulhere