Dave Haft

Group Vice President, Sustainability and Productivity, Frito-Lay, Inc.

"Green Effect is clearly a catalyst for grass roots thinking on how small steps can positively impact the community and the environment. That was evidently the case for the 10 Green Effect finalists. My top pick is 'Launch Green Extreme Neighborhood,' which would upgrade 20 homes to be more energy efficient in a low income Washington, D.C., neighborhood. For a relatively small investment we can reduce environmental impact and educate people on how they can reduce their personal environmental footprint while reducing household expenses. Expanding this concept to broader community education can have a 'pebble in the pond' effect where hundreds or even thousands become interested and engaged in environmental sustainability."
—Dave Haft on the Green Effect finalists

Dave Haft, group vice president of sustainability and productivity, joined Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) in 1984. Under Dave's leadership, Frito-Lay has executed some of the company's most significant sustainability projects to date.

Two major projects include the installation of solar concentrators at FLNA's Modesto facility and the "net zero" project in Casa Grande. In Modesto, the solar concentrator fields at the facility help drive the actual production of some of the snacks made there. As part of the "net zero" project, the company will install leading edge technologies at its Casa Grande facility to reduce water and electricity consumption by 90%, and natural gas use by 80%; thereby nearly taking the facility "off the grid." The Casa project will serve as a learning lab for Frito-Lay's other 30+ facilities.

In addition, Dave is also guiding the company's integrated sustainability strategy for the entire supply chain, as well as with our partners in agriculture and retailers.

In addition, Dave is executive sponsor for the RISE group, the company's Native American network group. As part of their mission, RISE is working with internal experts to develop and communicate ideas that can be implemented by employees to reduce their personal environmental footprint.

In his career at Frito-Lay, Dave spent eight years in HQ Engineering where he led the design and construction of five new manufacturing plants and several distribution centers. Dave then moved to Field Operations where he served as Manufacturing Manager in San Antonio; Operations Director in Michigan; Sr. Operations Director in Chicago (Heartland) and Vice President of Operations for the Central Division. For the past seven years, Dave has led Operations Productivity, Quality Assurance, Food Safety/Sanitation, Environmental Compliance and Resource Conservation, and Manufacturing Operations Support for FLNA. Dave also has responsibility for Service and Distribution, Lean Six Sigma and Autonomous Maintenance.

Dave holds Bachelors degrees in Architectural Engineering and Environmental Design from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from Marquette University.