Gary Solomon
Principal, Quality & Food Safety Leadership Advisor @Solomon Quality And Food Safety Advisors, Llc
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WORK HISTORY
Principal, Quality & Food Safety Leadership Advisor @Solomon Quality And Food Safety Advisors, Llc
CO, US
Solomon Quality and Food Safety Advisors, LLC provides senior-level Quality and Food Safety leadership to food and beverage manufacturers during periods of transition, growth, or elevated risk.I partner directly with executive teams to stabilize operations, strengthen Quality and Food Safety systems, and build confident, capable teams when experienced leadership is needed most.In this role, I step into leadership gaps and complex situations to- Serve as interim Quality & Food Safety leader (Director through VP level) during vacancies or organizational transitions- Lead crisis response and recovery efforts, including rapid assessments, corrective action execution, and customer and regulatory engagement- Drive Quality & Food Safety system transformation, simplifying processes, improving documentation, and aligning multi-site QMS frameworks- Develop leadership and team capability by strengthening accountability, decision-making, and problem-solving across Quality and Operations- Prepare organizations for audits and inspections through targeted readiness assessments and follow-up execution- Strengthen supplier quality and co-manufacturing oversight to reduce risk and improve performance- Provide strategic counsel to executives navigating growth, capability gaps, or operational challengesMy focus is always on delivering practical, sustainable outcomes that reduce risk, improve performance, and strengthen long-term organizational capability.
EDUCATION
University of Maryland
BS, Food Science
Michigan State University
Master of Science, Food Safety
SKILLS
ABOUT GARY SOLOMON
After more than 30 years leading Quality and Food Safety in complex food manufacturing environments, I have seen a consistent pattern.Passing audits does not mean the business is protected.Many organizations have strong technical systems and talented teams. They pass audits, maintain certifications, and meet regulatory requirements.Yet when the business faces difficult decisions involving risk, operations, and customer expectations, Quality organizations are often not positioned to help lead those conversations.Why does this happen?Because much of the industry still operates inside a model of audit-driven Quality.In that model:Activity replaces outcomesCompliance replaces judgmentEnforcement replaces partnershipTeams stay busy managing audits, checklists, and reports, but the function struggles to influence the decisions that matter most to the business.The issue is rarely the people.Most Quality and Food Safety professionals are highly capable. But they were trained to operate in black-and-white systems such as standards, procedures, and compliance requirements.Business decisions, however, live in the gray areas of risk, tradeoffs, and priorities.This perspective led me to develop QxL (Quality × Leadership). It is a framework for positioning Quality and Food Safety as a leadership function that supports enterprise risk management and business performance.In practice, this means helping organizations:Align Quality and Food Safety with business priorities and enterprise riskMove beyond audit-driven activity toward outcome-focused leadershipClarify decision rights and escalation paths around complex risk decisionsStrengthen partnership between Quality, Operations, R&D, and executive leadershipBuild organizations capable of operating confidently in gray areasThe goal is not weaker standards.It is a stronger Quality organization that protects the business, enables growth, and is trusted as a strategic partner.I am always interested in connecting with leaders who are thinking about the future of Quality and Food Safety leadership.
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