When you’ve been making “snacks that make people smile” for nearly 80 years, you learn to take care of the people behind the scenes too. At Herr Foods, safety isn’t just a box to check: it’s a part of the culture.
Herr’s Winning Recipe: A Legacy of Caring
Founded in 1946 and still family-led, Herr’s operates across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware with over 1,700 employees working around the clock, making iconic snacks beloved across the Mid-Atlantic, and over 40 countries worldwide!
But while their snack empire has grown, the unpredictability of the weather around them has too. From surprise tornadoes to sweltering heat waves, conditions are changing, and fast.
The Day a Tornado Changed Everything
As Safety Manager, Dave Messaros keeps a lot more than snacks running at Herr Foods. With teams working 24/7 across the company’s expansive operations, his focus is on helping people stay informed, protected, and prepared—no matter what’s on the radar.
So when a tornado nearly hit their Pennsylvania headquarters and no alert came through, he knew something had to change. He found that the free weather apps he and his team were using were just too inconsistent and unreliable to cut it.
“We didn’t know about this tornadic event because we didn’t have a uniform system that could help us. My phone wasn’t giving me the messages that others were getting,” Dave recalls.
Weather Apps Weren’t Enough
With no centralized system in place, Dave and his team relied on scattered updates, gut calls, and hope. Critical weather events could catch them off guard.
That close call with a tornado was a turning point. It became clear they needed a better solution that they could trust, every time. That search led them to Perry Weather.
Herr Foods Finds the Answer in Perry Weather
Before Perry Weather, severe weather alerts were fragmented and erratic. “We had too many delays in what we’d done in the past.” Now, Herr Foods can plan ahead and make safety decisions with confidence.
Dave emphasizes, “The quick alerts from Perry Weather are what are most important to us. It comes right to your phone,” Dave explains. “It’s a great feature to have for us that we can really get that message fast.”
Staying Ahead with Automated Alerts
The Perry Weather platform is synced across departments, so whether it’s the property crew, yard truck drivers, route sales teams, or employees heading in for the night shift, everyone gets the same clear heads-up.
“We can give them a heads up if there’s lightning or a severe storm coming into the area, letting them know that work is delayed, so it does help us a lot from a business standpoint.”
These automated and manual alerts are easily accessible via the mobile app, desktops, and public display widgets across their facilities.
This kind of shared visibility helps everyone respond quickly and confidently—and makes the safety team’s job a lot easier.
“It’s changed our job immensely,” Dave says. “We can give people a quicker update as to how the day should go for them.”
When the Real Heat Is Inside
For Herr Foods, the real heat challenge is often inside. Their cooking rooms, where chips are fried and snacks are made, can get intensely hot, especially in the summer.
“We’ve got to keep an eye on the heat, especially for our internal teams working in the cooking rooms,” Dave says. “OSHA guidelines mostly cover outside workers like farmers,” Dave says. “But we apply these standards internally too”
Perry Weather’s automated alerts are also tied directly to Herr Foods’ emergency action plans.
To protect their teams, Herr Foods has built in automatic alerts that kick in once the heat index hits around 90 degrees, especially in the hot cooking areas – prompting mandatory breaks and hydration protocols.
This means extra breaks and hydration periods kick in automatically, without having to constantly check the temperature.
“Our emergency action plans are in place automatically with Perry Weather. I don’t have to pull the trigger for them to do something,” Dave adds.
Met Forecasting with Friends: Perry Weather’s Personal Touch
One of Dave’s favorite features? Talking to a real person with Perry Weather’s personalized meteorologist support. “It’s almost like having a friend at a news station watching the weather just for us,” Dave smiles.
“Their quick forecasts and personalized approach make us feel more like we’re working with a partner, not just a client.”
That partnership matters. Herr Foods has always treated its employees like family, and Perry Weather treats its customers the same way—with personalized attention, quick support, and a genuine commitment to keeping people safe.
So when the weather turns, Dave’s team doesn’t lose time wondering what to do. They have answers, and they have them fast.
Built on Family. Backed by Perry Weather.
Herr Foods knows a thing or two about consistency. Since 1946, the family-run brand has built trust through simple ingredients, honest work, and a deep commitment to people—both customers and employees.
Perry Weather fits right into that culture. It has strengthened their values of showing up for your people, planning ahead, and doing the right thing even when conditions shift.
With its user-friendly dashboard, consistent real-time alerts, and the kind of customer support that feels like calling a friend, Dave doesn’t just feel supported, he feels seen.
“I’m excited to continue to work with Perry Weather hopefully for many years to come. The usability of the system, the friendliness of the responses… everything that they do for us seems like we’re not only a customer but almost like part of their team.”
