Innovation right from the start
Our founding story
A finance exec, an operations exec, and an M&A exec walk into a bar…and the rest is history.
Eric Diaz, Stephen Draper, and Austin Solem worked closely together within the cold storage industry for years and eventually developed tight friendships outside of work. Their families got to know each other, and the guys established a Friday ritual of attending happy hours at their local watering hole where they'd talk shop, exchange thoughts about the latest news in the cold storage world, and connect over their work and life passions.
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when new opportunities and demands struck the cold storage industry, that Austin, Eric, and Stephen became more vocal with each other about their convictions. They all felt the cold chain needed a disruptor to come in with a unique platform that could continuously keep up with the accelerated growth and evolution of the industry.
Eventually, the group of friends decided to take the leap. Within a month of their decision, they were pitching their vision to many of the top private equity firms and investment banks in the world.
Their story and backgrounds resonated: a CEO with a wealth of M&A experience and industry connections, a CFO with a proven ability to take numbers on a spreadsheet and create true value within the business, and a COO who grew up in the cold chain and climbed the ranks from a 19-year-old forklift driver to the leader of a $500M business unit and 3,000 employees.
The right partnerships found, they set off on their journey to help companies discover a smarter way with Envision Cold.
OUR MISSION
To empower our people and provide innovative solutions to our customers as we bring safeguarded food to the world—one table at a time.
OUR VALUES
We founded Envision Cold because we saw the need for an industry disruptor to take a different approach and help customers discover a smarter way. From day one, these values have guided everything we do—and we’ll stay committed to them as we grow.
FLEXIBILITY
In our eyes, our most important job is to find a way to say ‘yes’ to every request.
TRANSPARENCY
You can trust us to provide complete visibility to every aspect of your cold chain. We’ll bring you the good news—and thoughtful solutions for any unforeseen challenges.
COMMUNICATION
Whether from a person or a platform, our communications are accurate, comprehensive, and timely.
VISION
Creativity, ambition, and innovation are in our DNA. When you partner with us, your vision of success becomes a part of ours.
Our Executive Team
