Three Americold New Zealand leaders reflect on 40 years of career growth, leadership, teamwork and helping customers feed the world.
In today's fast-moving workplace, it is increasingly rare to find someone who has spent an entire career with one company. It is even rarer to find three people who began their journeys together and are still working side by side four decades later.
That is exactly the story of Roger Bremner, Paul Cunneen and David Lee.
The three leaders recently celebrated 40 years of service in New Zealand, marking a milestone that reflects much more than longevity. Their story is one of friendship, resilience, continuous learning and a shared commitment to the people, customers and communities they serve.
Known affectionately as the "Awesome Trio," Roger, Paul and David have helped shape the evolution of Americold's South Island operations while building careers that have grown alongside the business. Through ownership changes, technological advancements, industry transformation and changing customer expectations, they have remained passionate about what they do and the people they do it with.
Their journey began long before Americold.
Roger, Paul and David first met as schoolchildren in Christchurch.
They attended the same schools, shared many of the same classes and built friendships that would last a lifetime. When it came time to enter the workforce, all three found themselves crossing the road from school to begin careers in cold storage, unknowingly starting a journey that would span four decades.
"We've really been like brothers," Roger says. "We've been together since our school days."
What started as an after-school job for some and a first full-time opportunity for others quickly became something more. The cold chain industry offered opportunities to learn, grow and take on new challenges, and all three embraced them.
Over the years they would work their way through operational, administrative and leadership roles, gaining experience from the warehouse floor to senior leadership positions.
The business itself evolved along the way, moving through several ownership changes before becoming part of Americold's global network. Through every chapter, Roger, Paul and David remained focused on serving customers, supporting associates and adapting to whatever came next.
The cold chain industry that Roger, Paul and David entered in the 1980s looks very different from today's highly sophisticated logistics environment.
In those early years, operations relied heavily on manual labor. Teams unloaded fishing vessels around the clock, stacked products by hand and worked through demanding schedules to keep food moving.
"We just always made it work," David recalls.
The trio remember handling whole lamb carcasses, unloading fish boats for days at a time and performing physically demanding work under conditions that would be unfamiliar to many associates today.
Over time, those operations transformed.
Warehouse management systems, customer integration tools, enhanced reporting capabilities, voice-picking technology and advanced safety systems have changed how work gets done. What was once focused largely on bulk storage has expanded into a more complex operation supporting retail, food service, dairy, protein, convenience and other customer sectors.
For Roger, Paul and David, adapting to change became one of the defining characteristics of their careers.
Every ownership transition brought new expectations. Every customer required new solutions. Every advancement in technology created opportunities to improve.
Rather than resisting change, they learned to grow with it.
"We've learned a lot through different owners, different leadership styles and different ways of working," Roger says. "Every stage has helped us grow."
That mindset continues to shape how they lead today.
Among all the changes they have experienced, perhaps none has been more important than the evolution of workplace safety.
The trio openly acknowledge that safety standards in the early years of their careers were vastly different from what associates experience today.
Looking back, they recognize how much progress has been made and how critical that progress has been to protecting people.
Roger experienced that reality firsthand when an early-career injury altered the direction of his career and ultimately led him into administration and leadership.
Today, all three are passionate advocates for creating a workplace where every associate returns home safely at the end of the day.
"Seeing all our staff go home safely every day is our priority," Roger says.
Modern safety programs, engagement initiatives, leadership accountability and technology-enabled safety tools have become important parts of that effort. Just as important, however, is the culture that supports them.
For Roger, Paul and David, safety is not a checklist. It is a daily commitment to caring for people.
Ask the trio to describe one another and it quickly becomes clear why they have been such a successful team.
Roger describes himself as steady and thoughtful. Paul is practical, direct and focused on execution. David brings humor, approachability and a strong connection to operational teams.
Together, they provide balance.
Their leadership styles may differ, but their values are remarkably similar.
All three believe leadership starts with relationships.
"You've got to relate to people on their level," David explains. "If you can talk to them about something they're interested in, it builds rapport."
Rather than leading from behind a desk, they prioritize spending time with associates, walking the floor, listening to concerns and staying connected to daily operations.
Those interactions help build trust, strengthen engagement and create a workplace where people feel seen and valued.
Over time, they have learned that successful leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about creating an environment where people can do their best work, develop their skills and contribute to the team's success.
As Americold's South Island operations have grown, one thing has remained remarkably consistent: people stay.
Many associates across the region have built long careers with the company, creating teams defined by loyalty, trust and deep institutional knowledge.
For the Awesome Trio, that says something important about the culture they have helped build.
"You don't keep coming back every day to work with people you don't like," Paul says. "The people do make the place."
That belief comes up again and again when they talk about their experiences.
They speak with pride about teammates who have grown into leaders, associates who have built decades-long careers and colleagues who continue to support one another through challenges and successes alike.
The relationships formed at work have created a sense of community that extends beyond job titles and organizational charts.
It is one of the primary reasons all three remain passionate about the business after 40 years.
"We do it for the team. We do it for each other," Roger says. "We're passionate about the people we work with, whether it's our customers, our colleagues or our associates."
While their roots remain firmly planted in New Zealand, Roger, Paul and David have seen Americold become increasingly connected around the world.
Today, associates in New Zealand collaborate with colleagues across APAC, North America and Europe, sharing ideas, supporting major projects and learning from one another's experiences.
That global connection has created new opportunities for growth and development while allowing New Zealand teams to contribute their own knowledge and expertise.
Projects such as warehouse management system implementations, operational support initiatives and cross-regional collaboration demonstrate how experience can flow in both directions.
For associates, that means being part of something larger than a single facility or region. It means belonging to a global organization that values learning, development and continuous improvement.
Roger, Paul and David's story is ultimately about more than years of service.
It is about what can happen when talented people are given opportunities to grow, when leaders invest in relationships, and when teammates become lifelong friends.
Their experiences demonstrate that careers in cold chain logistics can be dynamic, meaningful and rewarding. What began as entry-level opportunities evolved into leadership careers that have shaped operations, supported customers and influenced countless associates along the way.
While technology, facilities and business strategies have changed over the past 40 years, the qualities that inspire people to stay remain remarkably consistent: meaningful work, opportunities to learn, leaders who care and teammates who support one another.
Those principles continue to guide Americold today.
As the Awesome Trio celebrates this extraordinary milestone, their message to future generations of associates is simple:
Great careers are built one day at a time, and the best journeys are rarely taken alone.