FROM THE MARINE CORPS TO LEADERSHIP AT THE CORE OF PLANT MANAGEMENT
For Pedro Lozano, leadership isn’t just a skill. It’s a lifelong evolution. From his days as a Marine stationed in Japan and Fort Lee to, today, his current role as plant manager in Spokane, Washington, Pedro has spent his career learning, unlearning and re-learning what it truly means to lead.
“I came out of the Marine Corps with a very old-school leadership style,” Pedro reflects. “Yelling, direct orders rigid command. That’s what we knew back in ‘95. But the civilian world doesn’t operate like that and adapting was the biggest challenge of my transition.”
Pedro served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he worked in supply and logistics, a role that laid the foundation for his future with us in food manufacturing and distribution. Stationed at various points in Japan, on the East Coast and at Camp Pendleton, he gained critical experience in coordination, inventory control and above all, responsibility. But when he transitioned out of the service in 2000, Pedro quickly found ways to adapt to the decidedly different rules of the civilian workforce.
“I had to relearn how to manage, in some ways. Thankfully, I worked with some amazing people who helped coach me into an even better way of leading.”
That willingness to grow, rooted in the Marines’ “always improve” mindset, was what set Pedro on a long, upward journey through the world of manufacturing. Over the past two decades, he’s held leadership roles in production, warehousing and distribution. Today, he manages a full-scale plant for Rich’s, overseeing operations, change management and multiple shifts of team members.
And while his leadership style may have has changed over the years, his commitment hasn’t.
“As a plant manager, I don’t have a 9-to-5,” Pedro says. “Some days I’m in at 3 AM, others it’s 9 PM. I want to be visible. I check in with the teams. That sense of camaraderie, of accountability—it’s something I carried from the Corps. You lead from the front.”
His day-to-day is a whirlwind of meetings, operations planning, people management and floor time. But no matter the task, one thing remains constant: the importance of communication.
“In the military, everything is built around communication—detailed, repeated, clear,” he says. “It’s meeting after meeting to get aligned. That’s a habit I brought with me. Even now, when things change fast, whether it's supply chain disruptions or new product lines, I make sure my teams are in the loop.”
Pedro’s leadership approach also involves looking out for others, especially fellow veterans. He’s worked with HR and local VA offices to create opportunities for other service members transitioning into civilian life.
“We’ve got five vets here now in Spokane,” he shares proudly. “Giving veterans a shot matters. They bring discipline, adaptability, and a hunger to grow. I see myself in a lot of them.”
That sense of purpose extends beyond hiring. While living in California, Pedro actively supported the Wounded Warrior Project and is now eager to find similar ways to give back in Spokane. It’s all part of what being a leader means to him—lifting others up while continuing to grow himself.
His advice to veterans making the transition?
“Be ready to grow. Take the good and the bad from both military and civilian worlds, and find your balance,” Pedro says. “Leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. It evolves. You evolve. That’s how you keep moving forward.”
