COO
Northline network ops
Chief operating officer for five temperature-controlled DCs and roughly 280 full-time people across the Midwest cold chain.
98.1% network case fill.
Cold-chain COO · Northline Cold Logistics
Marta Ochoa
I run the cold chain that keeps grocery docks honest. Five DCs, roughly 280 people, and a 98.1 percent case-fill promise that starts before dawn.
- Located
- Chicago, IL
- Standing
- Board and advisory conversations
§1Figures of record
| 98.1% case fill | Network service level across five Northline DCs. |
| 94.6% → 97.4% | Case-fill climb at Harborfield over eight years. |
| OSHA -34% | Recordables down network-wide vs. 2021 baseline. |
| 5 DCs · ~280 FT | Temperature-controlled network under direct ops leadership. |
| 30 years on the dock | From shift supervisor to COO in Midwest cold chain. |
§2Mandate
Lead multi-site cold-chain operations, food safety, and labor partnerships.
Known for
- Case fill
- Cold-chain ops
- Labor partnership
Focus
- Service levels
- Food safety
- Safety systems
§3Statement
I started on a Calumet produce dock in 1996 supervising night outbound. The throughline has not changed much: temperature, labor, and whether the order that left the building matches the order the store expected. I ran Calumet as operations manager, built multi-site distribution at Great Lakes Produce, then spent eight years as VP of operations at Harborfield lifting case fill from 94.6 to 97.4 percent. Since 2021 I have been COO of Northline Cold Logistics, five temperature-controlled DCs and a Teamsters floor at every site. I still speak Spanish on the briefing, and I still treat fill rate as a 4 a.m. promise rather than a dashboard.
§4Schedule of record
| 2021 - present | Chief Operating Officer, Northline Cold LogisticsFive DCs, ~280 FT, 98.1% case fill. |
| 2019 - present | Board Member, Midwest Growers CooperativeCold-chain capacity and retail readiness. |
| 2013 - 2021 | VP Operations, Harborfield FoodsCase fill 94.6% to 97.4%. |
| 2011 | HACCP Certification, Illinois Institute of Technology |
| 2006 - 2013 | Director of Distribution, Great Lakes ProduceMulti-site produce distribution. |
| 2004 | B.S. Operations Management, Illinois State University |
| 2000 - 2006 | Operations Manager, Calumet FreshSingle-site produce DC. |
| 1996 - 2000 | Shift Supervisor, Calumet FreshNight outbound crews. |
§5Engagements
VP Operations
Harborfield fill-rate climb
Led multi-site operations that lifted case fill from 94.6 percent to 97.4 percent through staffing, slotting, and carrier discipline.
94.6% → 97.4% case fill.
Safety
Safety system rebuild
Rebuilt the safety cadence across Northline so OSHA recordables fell 34 percent against the 2021 baseline.
OSHA -34% network-wide.
Operations
Carrier scorecard standard
Standardized the three-number outbound carrier scorecard (on-time, temperature integrity, claims) that docks and dispatchers actually use.
One scorecard across the network.
Board
Midwest Growers Cooperative board
Board service advising grower members on cold-chain capacity, retail readiness, and dock-to-store risk.
§6Terms of engagement
Board and advisory
Cold-chain and multi-site distribution advisory for boards and operators who need service-level and labor realism.
Ops diligence
Diligence support on fill rate, food-safety readiness, carrier models, and safety systems for temperature-controlled networks.
§7Matters commonly raised
01
What does Marta Ochoa do?
Marta is the chief operating officer of Northline Cold Logistics. She runs five temperature-controlled distribution centers and roughly 280 full-time people across the Midwest cold chain.
02
What is Marta known for?
A 98.1 percent network case-fill rate at Northline, lifting Harborfield from 94.6 to 97.4 percent fill, and cutting OSHA recordables 34 percent network-wide.
03
Where is Marta based?
Chicago, Illinois.
04
What is Marta's background?
Thirty years in produce and cold-chain operations, from shift supervisor at Calumet Fresh through VP of operations at Harborfield. B.S. from Illinois State University and an IIT HACCP certification. Bilingual English and Spanish.
05
Is Marta available?
She takes board and advisory conversations on cold-chain operations and multi-site distribution.
§8Notes
Fill rate is a promise, not a chart
Case fill is whether the store opens a trailer and finds what was ordered before the first customer walks in. Dashboards report it. Night crews deliver it.
The scorecard the carrier can read
If the person who loads the trailer cannot explain the score in under a minute, it is decoration. Three honest numbers beat eighteen columns no one trusts.