Avi Mallinger

Project Manager

 

Avi Mallinger is a creative leader with 10+ years of management, operations, and business development experience. He cultivates innovative ecosystems while helping organizations improve processes, operate sustainably, and scale, with a specialization in the food and hospitality sectors.

Passionate about food systems, civic innovation, and entrepreneurship, Avi has expertise supporting organizations in operations, strategy, and business development. His career has spanned several sectors, including growing a food tech investment SaaS platform for Rabobank, leading educational programs and events for entrepreneurs, managing a shared kitchen and food-business incubator, cooking as a fine dining chef, producing radio programs for Sirius XM, and advising on operations strategy.

Avi graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in American Studies and an M.B.A from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. In his free time, Avi enjoys cooking, fixing up his old house, and riding bikes with his two kids around his home in Providence, RI.

 

 

 

 

 

 Whatcom County Food System Plan

In 2021, the Whatcom County Food System Committee conducted a community food assessment that pointed to key opportunities to build a more robust and resilient regional food system. New Venture Advisors partnered with Whatcom County staff and the Food System Committee to draft a Whatcom County Food System Plan that builds upon these findings. This Plan focuses on five key goals for building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system, and was informed by an inclusive community engagement process. The Food System Plan will provide the county with a policy roadmap that will strengthen the local food system for years to come. (2023)

 Whatcom Local Food Campus

The Whatcom Community Foundation invests in activities and organizations that improve the ability of people to help themselves, increase connections among people, and take cooperative approaches to community issues. WCF is exploring the development of a local food campus on a waterfront property that would become a multi-tenant site, anchored by a collaborative production kitchen benefitting food access, school system, and community organizations. The goal is strengthening Whatcom County’s local food system by promoting health equity, forging tangible strategic connections between food production organizations, and helping farmers connect with institutional markets. The facility will also feature an incubation kitchen, demonstration kitchen, event and classroom space, collaborative office and conference facilities, and housing.  New Venture Advisors developed the business case for this ambitious project and continues to support its development through engagement and operational development. (2023)