Growing a Business and Team Empowerment with John Harris

Описание: In this episode of Rooted: Stories of Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness, Lauren Chenarides and student co-hosts Dani and Firdavs talk with John Harris, founder of Paradigm Fresh and Colorado Cold Connect. John shares how he bootstrapped his first produce business starting with a small bank line of credit and learned early lessons about working with lenders. He describes the “say yes” mindset that pushed the company to take calculated risks, move fast, and build infrastructure only once the opportunity was real. The conversation covers how cold storage became an unexpected growth path, and why speed, communication, and relationships matter in perishable supply chains. John also explains how his leadership approach evolved as the business scaled, including empowering managers, building a strong culture, and using SOPs to ensure consistent service. The episode closes with what it took to expand in Fort Morgan, including the financing and long timelines behind building a 150,000-square-foot cold storage facility.

Chapters:
Intro: John Harris, Paradigm Fresh, Colorado Cold Connect
Funding: early credit, bank lines, and building credibility
Bootstrapping and the “say yes” core value
First warehouse: leasing, scaling fast, and a tomato contract
Accidental entry into cold storage and early customer relationships
Relationship-driven business and customer responsiveness
Culture and people: empowerment and the “self-cleaning oven” method
Leadership: delegation, trust, and getting the right roles
Putting out fires vs. strategic planning (real examples)
Expansion decisions: Denver to Fort Morgan and hiring constraints
Multi-building inefficiency and the tipping point for expansion
Financing and private equity: negotiating, legal review, and timelines
Standardization: SOPs and the “McDonald’s” consistency model
Role models and mentors
Advice to students: persistence, reality checks, and what it takes
Closing advice