CAMDEN, NJ — A lifelong athlete, George Vindiola, VP of R&D at Camden, NJ-based Campbell Snacks, knows that rigorous training is the key to improvement. But more than that, proper training involves not only expanding outside one’s comfort zone but also tearing down muscles so they can build back stronger.
Those core athletics concepts have been foundational to Vindiola’s professional development; he dove into food production just as his chemical engineering degree was steering him toward the petrochemical industry.
“Growing up in Texas and attending Texas A&M, that’s where I thought my career was heading,” Vindiola recalled. “I had interned at chemical plants and oil refineries, and I was sure that was going to be my path as a chemical engineer.”
Then again, what makes sense on a linear path isn’t always how strength is built. If years of competitive sports taught Vindiola anything, it was that skill development doesn’t happen by taking the easy route. So, when he discovered the opportunity for R&D work at Plano, TX-based Frito-Lay in the mid-‘90s, Vindiola was intrigued by the change of course.
It may be atypical for a chemical engineer to shift from the petroleum industry to food development, but creative thinking is at the heart of great R&D. And Vindiola’s tendency to stretch the limits of his physical abilities followed suit for his mental strength as well.
The challenge didn’t just involve the leap from chemicals to food; he also veered from project management to product development. But for Vindiola, that was a winning combination.
As a process engineer who enjoys the mechanics of things from a problem-solving perspective, Vindiola’s understanding of the formulator’s role allows him to bring the product development process together as a cohesive unit.
“With my chemical engineering background, I was more of a process engineer who learned how to execute product development,” he said, noting that while formulation is not what he brings to the table, he knows how to bring specific skillsets into overall projects like product development.
Over the years, Vindiola’s professional development has continued to mirror his athletic principles. From taking on small projects that no one else would work on, to achieving four patents and leading the development of major product launches, every experience — be it success or failure — has built upon the one before.
“What I have found in my career journey — and what still holds true today — is that building upon the work, day after day, makes all the difference,” he said. “Putting in work accentuates your value to a company and provides opportunities you may never have known existed.”
That agility also led him to Pepperidge Farm, a brand under the Campbell Soup Co. umbrella, and the formation of the company’s Campbell Snacks division.
“You have to be willing to take chances,” Vindiola said. “Risks that I’ve taken have set me up for different points in my career, both at PepsiCo and at Pepperidge and Campbell, where I was willing to take chances when I saw new opportunities to do different things that not only furthered me professionally but also as a person.”
As a father of two living in a household where Goldfish crackers have been a pantry mainstay for years, working in product development at Pepperidge could have propelled him to hero status at home. But for Vindiola, there was a harder challenge that was the bigger draw.
“It was the fresh bakery aspect that interested me because it’s so different from snacking,” he said. “Goldfish and cookies are still snacks, but fresh bakery was something completely different, and that has been exciting to work on.”
From learning an entirely new process to understanding different distribution channels, diving into fresh bakery product development has allowed Vindiola to tap into all-new skillsets.
“It has been such a great opportunity to learn about things I didn’t previously know about,” he said. “That was a big reason why I was drawn to Pepperidge.”
This story has been adapted from the 2023 New Products Annual issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
