A roundup of new employees and appointments in the agribusiness industry.

December 29, 2017

14 Min Read
Names in the News: January 2018

CIBUS, San Diego, Cal. — Noel Sauer has been appointed to the scientific management team as vice president of research. Sauer will lead research efforts in developing commercially relevant traits, including disease resistance and healthier oils, in a variety of plants such as canola, rice, flax and potato. She was most recently director of technology.

 

DOUBLE S LIQUID FEED SERVICES, Danville, Ill. Melissa Jolly-Breithaupt has joined the company as director of research and technical services. Jolly-Breithaupt will provide technical expertise, support the sales team, design new trials and help shape the direction of product offerings. She also will provide tech and sales support for the High Brix Agronomy Solutions division, as well as organize, implement and analyze field trials.

 

NUTRIAD, Dendermonde, Belgium — Dr. Chutaemil Marom has been appointed country manager Indonesia. Marom will provide and implement solutions in the field of non-antibiotic digestive performance enhancers and mycotoxin risk management, among others.

 

NUTRIQUEST, Mason City, Iowa — Jennifer Brown has joined NutriQuest Business Solutions as a consulting chief financial officer. Brown will assist customers with budgeting and meeting their financial goals. She was previously with Ernst & Young.

Dr. Petra Chang has joined the company as technical sales and service-swine. Chang will provide sales and technical support for swine customers throughout the Midwest region as well as Brazil. She was previously with Kemin Industries.

Dr. Liang "Ted" Chen has joined the company as dairy research coordinator. Chen will be responsible for assisting in the research and development effort at the company's new dairy research center in southwest Minnesota. He was previously with Aurora Organic Dairy.

Kevin Christensen has joined the company as consulting chief financial officer at NutriQuest Business Solutions serving the Midwest region. He will be responsible for assisting customers with managing both short-term and long-term budgets and forecasts, system development and financial analysis. He was previously with C & E Holding Co.

Kenny Seidel has joined the company as senior account manager, swine. Seidel will be responsible for creating and developing ongoing business relationships with new and existing swine customers. He was previously with Phibro Animal Health.

 

BIOZYME INC. , St. Joseph, Mo. — Lisa Norton has been promoted to president and chief operating officer. Norton was most recently vice president of marketing and sales.

 

THE PET FOOD INSTITUTE, Washington, D.C. — Dana L. Brooks has been named president and chief executive officer, effective Feb. 26. Brooks will work with members, staff and stakeholders across the supply chain and pet sectors. She was previously with Land O’Lakes Inc.

 

VITA PLUS, Madison, Wis. — Sarah Adamson has joined the company as a dairy goat specialist. Adamson will develop and grow the dairy goat program, serve as the primary resource for all questions related to dairy goat nutrition and management and work closely with other staff, facilities and dealer partners to service dairy goat customers in the existing marketing area.

 

ANGUS FOUNDATION, St. Joseph, Mo. — Rod Schoenbine has joined the foundation as development director. Schoenbine will be responsible for fund-raising and relationship building to help achieve the mission of advancing education, youth and research for the Angus breed and American Angus Assn. members. He was previously with Zoetis Animal Health.

 

AGRIBLE INC., Champaign, Ill. — Dennis E. Beard has been appointed interim chief executive officer. Beard is currently with Serra Ventures.

Chris Harbourt will step down as chief executive officer.

David Stanko has been promoted to president and chief operating officer. Stanko was most recently chief financial officer.

 

FARMFIRST DAIRY COOPERATIVE, Madison, Wis. — Jeff Lyon has joined the cooperative as general manager, effective Feb. 1. Lyon will manage the cooperative and its member programs and will represent members' interests and concerns through industry initiatives and discussions on a regional and national level. He was previously with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection.

 

KRONE NORTH AMERICA, Memphis, Tenn. — Rusty Fowler has been named president and chief executive officer.

 

VIRTUS NUTRITION, Corcoran, Cal. — Julie Judge has joined the company as Great Lakes sales manager. Judge will work with nutritionists and dairy producers in the Michigan, Indiana and Ohio dairy market to improve herd health, milk and reproductive performance by better balancing fatty acids in their dairy cow diets. She was previously with Merck Animal Health.

 

CMS, Gainesville, Ga. — Richard Rhodes has been named western U.S. sales manager. Rhodes will serve clients west of the Mississippi River.

 

DIAMOND V, Cedar Rapids, Iowa — Dr. Serge Cornellie has joined the company as senior consultant-technical and business development, Asia. Cornellie will be based in Tokyo, Japan, and will oversee business in Japan and South Korea while leading growth initiatives and providing technical support for aquaculture in Asia.

Utumporn Innoi has joined the company as key account manager. Innoi will be based in Bangkok, Thailand, and will provide technical and marketing support to key accounts in the region.

Dr. Kwan Yuk Kwaun has joined the company as senior consultant-technical services, Asia. Kwaun will be based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will support business development initiatives in Asia and provide technical assistance to animal producers, veterinarians and nutritionists.

Marilyn Sim has joined the company as senior consultant-business development, Asia. Sim will be based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will help drive growth in Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan.

Visiel Tolentino has joined the company as senior consultant-strategic marketing, Asia. Tolentino will be based in Manila, Philippines, and will promote the brand in the region and help create awareness for company technologies supporting non-antibiotic solutions and food safety, including for foodborne pathogen risk control.

 

VORTEX, Salina, Kan. — Lyndon Flower has been appointed business development manager in the USA & Canada division. Flower will work with manufacturers' representatives, regional and territory sales managers and industry specialists to further expand product sales in the dry bulk material handling industry. He was previously with A&J Mixing International.

 

COBB-VANTRESS INC., Siloam Springs, Ark. — Nigel Strain has been appointed senior regional manager for technical services for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Strain was most recently EMEA broiler specialist.

 

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, Ames, Iowa — Dr. Mohamed El-Gazzar has joined the College of Veterinary Medicine as an assistant professor of poultry medicine in the department of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine. El-Gazzar will be responsible for training veterinary and graduate students in the field of poultry medicine, establishing a collaborative research program related to problems and opportunities facing the Iowa and U.S. poultry industries, conducting applied research focused on treatment and management of poultry diseases and providing outreach to the commercial and non-commercial poultry industry. He was previously with The Ohio State University.

 

SGS NORTH AMERICA, Brookings, S.D. — Dr. Shulin "Harry" Feng has joined the company as analytical laboratory manager for SGS Agriculture, Food & Life. Feng will oversee the analytical chemistry and residue testing of feed, food and crops as well as regulatory compliance services.

 

ARYSTA LIFESCIENCE NORTH AMERICA, Cary, N.C. — Brian Ahrens has joined the company as key account manager. Ahrens will work with retail/distribution customers to bring agronomic solutions to them and their farmer customers. He was previously with Marrone Bio Innovations.

Kathleen Seitzinger has joined the company as marketing manager for U.S. herbicides. Seitzinger will focus on the EVEREST and PRE-PARE brands and will have responsibilities for the SUPREMACY, AUDIT and SHADOW formulations. She was previously with DuPont Crop Protection.

Emily Smith has joined the company as BIO territory sales manager. Smith will provide biological solutions to customers in the California market. She was previously with Marrone Bio Innovations.

 

FAST GENETICS, Ames, Iowa — Adam Campbell has joined the company as account manager to service the U.S. eastern Corn Belt. Campbell will be responsible for expanding sales in the eastern Corn Belt region.

 

SANDERSON FARMS INC., Laurel, Miss. — David Hill has been named feed mill manager at the Kinston, N.C., production facility. Hill will be responsible for milling and the delivery of feed for all of the company's North Carolina poultry operations. He was most recently feed mill superintendent.

Nicholas “Nick” Smith has been promoted to breeder-hatchery manager at the Hazlehurst, Miss., production division. Smith will provide leadership and direct strategic operational plans for hatching eggs and chick production. He was most recently advanced trainee.

 

ADM ANIMAL NUTRITION, Decatur, Ill. — Dr. Ferdinando Almeida has joined the company as research scientist with a focus on monogastrics. Almeida will lead research to identify value-added opportunities in current and new processing streams for swine and poultry applications.

Vanessa Beaudoin has joined the companion animal team as national account manager for the Canadian sector. Beaudoin was previously with PetSmart Canada.

Dr. John Bowzer has joined the company as lead research scientist in aquaculture. Bowzer will work to develop ingredients and products that deliver value to the aquaculture industry and will lead efforts to expand research capabilities through the development of an aquaculture wet lab.

Thomas Frangione has joined the company as national account manager focusing on the dairy business. Frangione was previously with Merck Animal Health.

Ross Windham has joined the company as national account manager focusing on the poultry business. Windham was previously with Biomin.

 

AURORA ORGANIC DAIRY, Boulder, Colo. — Scott McGinty has been named chief executive officer. McGinty was most recently president.

 

BIOZYME INC., St. Joseph, Mo. — Shelia Grobosky has joined the company as public relations coordinator. Grobosky will promote the company and its brands through editorial placement, media relations and product integration and will work with others on the Marketing Team to ensure that public relations efforts are helping drive traffic to social sites, generating brand awareness and supporting the company's goals. She most recently worked with the company on a contractual basis.

 

CENTRAL LIFE SCIENCES, Schaumburg, Ill. — Tracy L. Harris III has been promoted to vice president of sales for its professional brands. Harris will oversee sales leadership responsibilities for the professional pest management, vector, livestock, farm and feed, grain storage and processing, turf and ornamental and horticulture segments. He was most recently senior director of sales for the Professional Agricultural Products division.

 

DARLING INGREDIENTS INC., Irving, Texas — John O. Muse has been named executive vice president — chief administrative officer. Muse will focus on helping integrate and streamline the global administrative organization. He was most recently chief financial officer.

Brad Phillips has been named executive vice president — chief financial officer. Phillips will lead the financial team. He was most recently vice president — treasurer.

 

NUTRIAD INTERNATIONAL NV, Dendermonde, Belgium — Juan Carlos Bello has been appointed technical sales manager swine and poultry in Mexico. Bello will cover sales in Mexico and Central America.

 

SANDERSON FARMS INC., Laurel, Miss. — James “Norman” Butts has been promoted to corporate maintenance manager. Butts will be responsible for ensuring that a comprehensive maintenance program is active at each company division, along with monitoring maintenance programs to ensure that facilities and equipment are being maintained to a high quality standard. He also will assist with equipment changes or upgrades for poultry producers. He was most recently advanced trainee III.

 

SYNGENTA, Basel, Switzerland — Alexandra Brand has been appointed chief sustainability officer. Brand will lead the Business Sustainability Group to evolve existing sustainability initiatives and to drive forward the company's sustainability agenda. She was most recently regional director for Europe, Africa and Middle East.

 

U.S. POULTRY & EGG HAROLD E. FORD FOUNDATION, Tucker, Ga. — Barbara Jenkins has been named executive director. Jenkins will be responsible for day-to-day operations, including managing the collegiate recruiting grants program, interacting with FFA on a special program at the International Production & Processing Expo and bringing students from Latin American universities to the expo. She also will maintain her role as vice president of education and student programs for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Assn.

 

ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH, Greenfield, Ind. — Sarena Lin has been named senior vice president, North America operations and global strategy. Lin will manage the entirety of the U.S. and Canadian food and companion animal businesses and will also oversee global strategy. She was previously with Cargill.

 

SELECT SIRES, Plain City, Ohio — Jordan Siemers has joined the company as dairy sire analyst. Siemers will work with Holstein breeders in western and midwestern regions of the U.S. and the eastern Canadian provinces and will be the lead sire analyst for milking Shorthorn procurement.

 

MISSOURI CATTLEMEN'S ASSN., Columbia, Mo. — Coby Wilson has joined the association as manager of strategic solutions. Wilson will be responsible for increasing non-dues revenue and building relationships with members and industry partners. He will also coordinate production of the Missouri Beef Cattleman magazine.

 

ARM & HAMMER, Princeton, N.J. — Laura Osborne Campbell has joined the company as ruminant account manager for the West region of the U.S. Campbell will support dairy and beef customers with a full portfolio of nutrition and microbial solutions and will work with producers and influencers across the region to grow awareness of the portfolio. She was previously with Novus International.

Jon Schmidt has joined the company as ruminant account manager for the North Central region of the U.S. Schmidt will support dairy and beef customers with a full portfolio of nutrition and microbial solutions and will work with producers and influencers across the region to grow awareness of the portfolio. Schmidt was previously with Elanco Animal Health.

 

NUTRIAD, Dendermonde, Belgium — Siep Raap has been appointed sales manager, Benelux. Raap will be responsible for supporting customers and business partners and bringing products and services to the market.

 

DAIRY ONE COOPERATIVE INC., Ithaca, N.Y. — Michael Reuter has been named director of analytical services, forage and soils. Reuter will supervise forage and soils operations and will be responsible for the overall leadership and the direction of these laboratories. He was most recently laboratory chemist and safety director.

 

EDGE DAIRY FARMER COOPERATIVE, Green Bay, Wis. — Paul Stoffel has joined the cooperative as member services representative. Stoffel will help expand services to members, including recruitment and member engagement, and he will also support farmers within the Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance. He was previously with Heiser Chevrolet Cadillac.

 

PLUMROSE USA, Downers Grove, Ill. — Thomas Lopez has been named president. Lopez will lead strategy, growth and development, including direct oversight of operations. He was previously with Kraft-Heinz Food Co.

 

FILAMENT, Madison, Wis. — Jenny Martin has been promoted to director. Martin will work with the leadership and executive teams to assist with client services and business development. She was most recently senior marketing manager.

 

VITA PLUS CORP., Madison, Wis. — Katie Maier has been named dairy specialist. Maier will provide nutrition consulting and technical expertise to dairy producers primarily throughout southwestern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

 

ADISSEO USA, Alpharetta, Ga.— Dr. Shane Fredin has been promoted to commercial manager — East region. Fredin will be responsible for aligning technical and commercial interests while leading the sales and technical group in the eastern U.S. and Canada.

Jeremy Painter has been named U.S. commercial director — dairy and poultry. Painter will be responsible for both the Poultry and Diary business in the U.S. He most recently led the North American Dairy Team.

Nik Sutter has been promoted to commercial manager — West region. Sutter will lead the sales and technical teams supporting the rumen-protected products Smartamine M and MetaSmart.

 

NUTRA-BLEND, Neosho, Mo. — Kevin Schluender has been appointed general manager. Schluender will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategic plan and for integrating Purina's Ingredient Merchandising business, which became a division as of Jan. 1, 2018. Schluender was most recently vice president-procurement.

 

AMERICAN GELBVIEH ASSN., Broomfield, Colo. — Kelsi Christian has joined the association as multimedia coordinator. Christian will manage and develop social media strategies, contribute to the association's publications and marketing team, as well as assist members and customers with day-to-day registry questions.

 

BIO-CAT, Troy, Va. — Elaine Cooling has joined the company as regulatory affairs manager. Cooling will oversee the daily regulatory needs of customers, play a role in defining regulatory requirements for the strategic plan and interface with key regulatory agencies. She was previously with Allergen Pharmaceuticals International.

 

ADAMA, Tel Aviv, Israel — Joseph M. Krkoska has joined the company as executive vice president of global operations. Krkoska was previously with the Dow Chemical Co.

 

RENEWABLE FUELS ASSN., Washington, D.C. — Jessica Bennett has joined the association as vice president of external affairs. Bennett will primarily focus on building stakeholder support through policy and messaging and also will provide strategic counsel on internal and external communications, build stronger relationships with industry stakeholders and partners and assist with legislative and regulatory efforts as needed. She was previously with the National Corn Growers Assn.

 

BROCK GRAIN SYSTEMS, Milford, Ind. — Austin Beer has joined the company as design engineer. Beer will update equipment and develop new components for storage bins and grain handling systems.

Dave Ginn has joined the company as district manager for the eastern region of the U.S. and Canada. Ginn will work with dealers in the Tennessee Valley and mid-South regions to grow their business and increase their familiarity with the line of grain storage, handling, conditioning and structural products.

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