SUMMARY
Seasoned food industry Research and Development professional with a balance of technical and business acumen. Strategic innovative thinker, a strong role model leader. Results oriented with strong management skills and a tenured record of increasing responsibility. Career focused on driving business results through capitalizing on all aspects of opportunity development - ideation through commercialization. Expertise in:
• Synergy of food science and engineering. • Sense of urgency with a bias for action.
• Strategic focus: leading technical alignment to corporate strategy. • Business unit senior leadership
• Technical selling of ingredients
• Ability to manage a portfolio with shifting priorities. • External partnerships to supplement technical competencies.
• Project execution through multi-disciplinary teams. • Passion for the product and understanding the needs of the consumer.
• Motivator and leader of people through sincerity, encouragement and mutual respect • Technical leader both in industry and corporate roles.
EXPERIENCE
Dairy Company Chicago Area, IL
VP, Technical and Quality Jan. 2008-present
Responsible for the strategic direction of all technical and quality initiatives supplier Build the relationship of technical cross-functionally within the unit as well as with the R&D teams. Equip technical centers to grow with the business. Prioritize project portfolio with value of $75,000,000. Active voice on the Leadership Team, with P&L input.
• Built a solid technical team of 16 scientists with $3,000,000 opex and $3,000,000 capex budgets.
• Integrated technical with sales and marketing team to deliver EBIT and Sales from Innovation growth goals.
• Developed a 5 year technical strategy plan, including people, processes, technical facility and EBIT
• Responsible for quality, technical services, technical relationships with customers, technical services, liaisons with industry and academia.
• Industry and tradeshow featured speaker. Developed internal/external training.
• Resolved several quality issues in market successfully, minimizing risk.
• Responsible for the Health & Safety program.
• A serious team member in the customer sales visit and interaction.
Cheese company
Director, Research and Development 2006-2007
Held responsibility for natural cheese and core products. Managed sauce and natural cheese development. Oversaw eight technical associates. Developed project flows, set goals and expectations, assessed progress, aligned resources, conducted appraisals, and proactively sought innovative solutions to issues. Functioned as team leader and cross-functional team member on several projects.
• Managed technical projects worth $100,000,000
• Improved communication and alignment within two tiered team responsible for 70 projects. Developed cross-functional relationships for proper utilization.
• Established communication channels between scientists and customers, supplementing relationship between sales representatives and scientists as well as improving morale and completed sales rate.
• Drove patentable concepts and expedited several technical projects by leveraging scientist talent.
• Worked closely with outside researchers to test upcoming concepts/gain footholds in new territory. Generated two new product ventures.
• Enabled scientists to work against objectives. Modified assessment program to include individual objectives.
Major Confection company Group Manager, Research and Development 1995-2006
CPG Development from ideation to commercialization. Led and managed product/process development scientists/engineers, including maintenance based research and development. Developed new processes and retail product formulations in chocolate and coated areas. Created cost saving programs based on technology improvements. Introduced a wide range of technical competence. Served on inter-functional teams in consumer aided product development. Functioned as project engineer in Canadian facility, working closely with global partners. Oversaw development in strategic execution of $1,000,000,000 brand initiatives. Teamed with marketing to expand brand beyond standard varieties.
• Led Brand product/process development: Launched several major subbrands with total contribution of $200,000,000.
• Directed commercial startup worth $80,000,000 within first year release.
• Developed product and process, contributing to initial product stages with marketing to understand consumer want gaps. Designed and tested prototypes with consumers. Led the startup team in Manufacturing.
• Led research and development to improve the an existing brand, improving process/operating efficiencies and overseeing development of four new variants, including testing and scale up.
• Focused on progressive, cross-functional teams to expedite production with zero required re-engineering.
• Researched and selected with commercial small manufacturers to co-pack items.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
Product/Process/Capital Installation Engineer, 1994-1995. Worked closely with Canadian unit on unique jarred product. Developed product, process, and project on branded spread product for consumer testing, refining, and installation. Designed products in Spread line, controlling $2,300,000 budget and installing functional line, producing market product. Managed contractors and three supervisors.
Senior Process Engineer, Research and Development, 1986-1994. Directed development and project flow of several process engineers. Designed process for a peanut butter product. Developed process for baking wheat cookies, making peanut butter, distributing to maintain stability, and applying topping covered in chocolate, instrumental to launch of $80,000,000 product. Optimized product and process for two new $5,000,000 brand extensions. Significant international experience developing the process and supervising the production line in the German Plant.
CHEESE COMPANY, Process/Product Engineer, 1982-1986. Managed imitation cheese research, product, and process development. Coached two engineers and four technicians. Developed ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis technology for soy protein separation, shredding optimization, and caseinate quality improvement.
RALSTON PURINA, Saint Louis, Missouri, Process Engineer, 1980-1982. Developed controlled release formula, processing and formulation, textural evaluation for Dog Chow, and soy granule process scale-up and plant processing.
EDUCATION
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, New Brunswick, New Jersey, M.S., Food Science, 2002
ASHLAND UNIVERSITY, Ashland, Ohio, M.B.A., 1985
PURDUE UNIVERSITY, West Lafayette, Indiana, B.S Chemical Engineering, 1980
PURDUE UNIVERSITY, West Lafayette, Indiana, B.S.Biochemistry, Biology, 1978
COMPUTER SKILLS
Lotus Notes, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio, Mind Manager
AFFILIATIONS
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Chemical Society
Institute of Food Technologists
Patents
2 patents for extrusion grain processing received 1998-2000
PERSONAL
Married. Two children. |
