CEASAR Roundtable and Networking 2/2/21

Mason is a serial entrepreneur with fresh food, organics and sustainability always at the core. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a Chemical Engineering degree, Mason dove head first into affecting change when it came to how chemical use affects our planet, our food and our bodies.

After founding EarthAction Landscaping, an environmentally-responsible lawn care company which grew for two years and sold, Arnold moved into organics and food and founded Greenling.com, the first and largest Local/Organic grocery delivery service in Texas serving all major metros, which sold in 2015. 

His current venture, Cece’s® Veggie Co., disrupted the produce department by pioneering the first pre-packaged, USDA certified Organic spiralized vegetables. Founded in 2015, Cece’s innovative fresh-cut veggie products are found nationwide in most major retailers and have been recognized with awards from the leading trade associations in the produce industry. In 2019 Cece’s landed the #3 spot on the Inc 5,000 list of fastest growing private companies in the US. 

In addition to founding businesses that support organics and sustainability, Mason is committed to service to support change overall. In 2018, Mason joined the board of the United Fresh Produce Association and is an inaugural member of the organization’s Organic Working Group.

A longtime Organic agriculture activist, he drafted legislation and created the Organic Advisory Board to the Texas Department of Agriculture and formed the Organic Association of Texas, a legislative action and lobbying group for the Organic agriculture industry in Texas.

He is an avid mentor and has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Sustainable Food Center. Mason also helped bring the Slow Money movement to Central Texas by forming Slow Money Austin, an organization that aims to facilitate the flow of capital to local food systems. 

Mason was honored with the United FreshMKT Achievement Award in 2018 for outstanding achievement and innovation in the marketing and merchandising of fresh produce, and was crowned 'Eco Leader of the Year' by the Austin Business Journal in 2010. 

Mason and his businesses have also received national innovation awards from Dell and PC Magazine, and more than 25 diverse awards across various outlets, including being crowned ‘Best Local Food Company’ 9 years in a row in the Austin Chronicle.

Mason has received national media attention for his companies including feature stories in the New York Times, Business Week, Entrepreneur magazine, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, radio appearances on NPR’s On Point, and others.