Organic Chemistry in Technical Innovation for Top Brands-Fortune 10 Food Companies, and Venture Capital with Multifaced Business and Scientific Analysis Expert

Expertise

• Organic Chemist: Trained with deep knowledge and experience in nearly all food systems and technologies. Proficient in food chemistry, thermal analysis, statistical experimental design, polymer chemistry, food microstructure and all food macromolecules. Developed and taught curriculum on water in foods, coating technology, starch and hydrocolloids.
• Food Product Creator: Baked goods, beverages, teas, snacks, cereals, bars, nutritional supplements, and other health products. Other areas: emulsions, RTE cereals, grains, food polymers, flavors, sweeteners, coatings, pet foods, and preservation systems.
• Reduction of Costs: And, plant downtime by reengineering raw material selection and purchasing.
• Breakthrough Technology and Processes: Spray dry reduction of products cut from 50% levels to near zero. "Quick Test” for viscosity testing of dry mix products identified, developed and implemented. “No set" complaints and rework drastically reduced.
• Venture Capital: Skilled in all facets of business capital including, market potential, scientific analysis, due diligence, negotiations and management team assessment. Exposure to hundreds of companies and contacts in the “health and wellness” investment space.
• Due Diligence: Of all perspective companies leading to four successful new investments for the firm including consumer medical devices, animal vaccines, and medical device coatings.
• Leadership: Team leadership, executing skills in mentoring and idea leadership across large organizations Created and led the implementation of an annual worldwide Technical Conference for General Mills which has become the most successful annual event in their history. Coordinated the internal evaluation of new technology companies for General Mills across the entire company and all functions while on venture capitalist assignments.
• Product Development: Experienced in all phases of product development from advanced consumer testing techniques to manufacturing start up plant. Discovered and directed synthesis of three previously unknown iron compounds which resulted in significantly improved iron bioavailability
• Technical Innovation: Thirteen U.S. patents over a range of category leading brands. Several patents pending and numerous international patents.  Multiple breakthrough process improvements identified and implemented for major US food companies leading to improved sales, quality and millions of dollars saved. 
• Guest Lecturer: For several university graduate schools on starch and carbohydrate chemistry.

Recognized Expert

Starch Expert

• Starch expert from molecular level to applications.

Food Hydrocolloids Expert

• Molecular level to all applications.

Flavor Expert            

• Flavor development, flavor stability, off flavor analysis, and flavor delivery systems.

Experimental Design Expert          

• Fully experienced with application of experimental design to solving complex food problems.

Cereal Coatings, Extrusion, Emulsions and Polymer Expert    

• Benchtop to plant.
• RTE cereals, snacks and glassy extrudates.
• Molecular level to production.
• Trained in polymer chemistry and experienced with using food polymer chemistry to predict food properties and stability.

Experience

F.O.G. Consulting, Founder, 2010 - Present

• Provider of solutions to clients in food product and process and flavor development
• Problem solving through statistical experimental methods.
• Serves dozens of clients covering all types of products and technologies.
• Developed a wide variety of successful products for clients. Baked goods, beverages, teas, snacks, cereals, bars, supplements, etc.
• Extensive engagements on processes including extrusion, spray-drying, process improvement and process control.

Otten Flavors, Philadelphia, PA, Chief Scientist of New Technology, 2004 - 2010

• Delivered technical innovation in manufacturing, flavor delivery, flavor development and outside technology licensing opportunities.
• Created and implemented breakthrough process for optimized compounding of flavors. Blockbuster flavors created with resulting sales in excess of 3 million.
• Created a new flavor delivery system, which resulted in significantly improved flavor impact and stability, which is generating new sales.
• Optimized all flavor spray drying processes to yield better quality and 30% greater throughput while delivering significant energy and labor savings.
• Invented US and International patent pending technology to fortify high levels of fiber into snacks and RTE cereals while maintaining taste. Technology is currently being reviewed for outside licensing.

General Mills, Vineland, NJ, 1995 - 2004

Business Liaison to Sherbrooke Capital, 2001 - 2004           

• Sole scientist on a team conducting due diligence activities and science validations on companies in the health and wellness investment space.
• Conducted scientific due diligence on all prospective companies leading to four successful new investments for the firm including consumer medical devices, animal vaccines, and medical device coatings.
• Kept the business team abreast of emerging technologies and brought new deals to the table.

Senior Principal Scientist, 1995 - 2001

• Delivered outstanding results and innovations on several key brands and manufacturing systems including breakthroughs on wheat purchasing strategies, sugar coating science, mineral fortification, grain milling and cereal process improvement.
• Led revitalization efforts for General Mill’s flour businesses (Gold Medal® and Bakery® flours) which resulted in breakthrough processes for milling, flour purchasing, and flour blending for quality. Million-dollar plus process savings implemented.
• Discovered and directed synthesis of three previously unknown iron compounds which resulted in significantly improved iron bioavailability in breakfast cereals. Landmark iron bioavailability study comparing all food-grade iron compounds completed and published in collaboration with USDA partners at Cornell University.
• Initiated and chaired for the first years, the General Mills worldwide “Technical Conference” has become the most important technical event for GM in its history.
• Reinvented General Mill’s cereal coating science and technology. New dryer control schemes were implemented which saved $900 million in waste while simplifying process start-ups and improving quality. Curriculum developed (6 hours) and taught as part of General Mills internal technology classes (Cereal School) to institutionalize findings.
• Invented an extrusion technology for Wheaties® and Total® manufacture which resulted in 2 million dollars/year of cereal over pack reduction for General Mills cereals in the US and Europe. Technology patented to fortify CHEX with calcium.
• Reduced costs and plant downtime for General Mill’s cereal plants by reengineering raw material selection and purchasing. The commonsense approach changed the process which had been in place for seventy years.

Kraft, Chicago, IL, Research Scientist, 1979 - 1995

• Fulfilled positions: Project Leader, Senior Chemist, and Associate Chemist.
• Led research and plant quality teams which resulted in significant quality and productivity improvements to Dream Whip® whipping components and non-dairy creamers. Rework on spray-dried products cut from 50% levels to near zero. Seven hundred thousand dollars in tower improvement avoided in addition to annual savings of $500 million in lost product.
• Breakthrough "quick test” for viscosity testing of dry mix products identified, developed, and implemented. “No set" complaints and rework drastically reduced on Jell-O® Puddings resulting in $400 million annual savings and superior consumer satisfaction.
• Developed and implemented formulas and processes for COOL WHIP® whipped topping which resulted in raw material and labor savings of 3 million annually.
• Contributed two patented technologies to the development of two new dessert products: Spoon-dispersible Jell-O® pudding and cold water-prepped Jell-O® gelatin desserts which helped to modernize the Jell-O® brand. Both products required the development of breakthrough technologies.
• Determined the microstructure of Cool Whip® leading to improved processing predictability.
• Also, the determined microstructure of Post® extruded cereals explained texture difference versus more conventional processes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Scientist

• A creative, practical, scientist with proven technical, innovation, leadership, and business skills.
• Extensive track record of contributions to top brands for Fortune 10 food companies. Venture capital experience with skills in all phases of business and scientific analysis.

Technical Innovation                        

• Thirteen U.S. patents over a range of category-leading brands. Several patents are pending and numerous international patents.
• "Invention of the Year" award received in 2001 at General Mills. Multiple breakthrough process improvements were identified and implemented for General Foods, Kraft, General Mills, and Ottens Flavors leading to improved sales, quality, and millions of dollars saved.
• Accomplishments across a diverse portfolio of foods, disciplines, and technologies.

Business Skills                           

• Immersed in venture capital (Sherbrooke Capital) while on rotating assignment from General Mills (investor). Learned all facets of business including market potential, scientific analysis, due diligence, negotiations, and management team assessment.
• Exposed to hundreds of companies and contacts in the "health & wellness" investment space.

Leadership                 

• Proven leader with skills in team leadership, mentoring, and idea leadership across large organizations. Created and led the implementation of an annual worldwide Technical Conference for General Mills which has become the most successful annual event in their history.
• Coordinated the internal evaluation of new technology companies for General Mills across the entire company and all functions while on VC assignment.

Product Development                     

• Experienced in all phases of product development from advanced consumer testing techniques to manufacturing plant start-ups.

Technical Breadth

• Trained organic chemist with deep knowledge and experience in nearly all food systems and technologies.
• Proficient in food chemistry, thermal analysis, statistical experimental design, polymer chemistry, food microstructure, and all food macromolecules.
• Developed curriculum and taught internal classes at General Mills on the water in foods, coating technology, starch, and hydrocolloids.
• Guest lecturer at Rutgers and Univ. of Minnesota graduate schools on starch and carbohydrate chemistry.

EDUCATOR

• Developed curriculum and taught internal classes at General Mills on the water in foods, coating technology, starch, and hydrocolloids.
• Guest lecturer at Rutgers College and University of Minnesota graduate schools on starch and carbohydrate chemistry.

Honors & Publications

Licenses

• Fiber Technology; for fiber fortification of cereals and snacks.
• Flavor Development; In for the development of superior reaction or compounded flavors using the least amount of added chemicals

 Awards

• Bell Achievement Award “Invention of the Year” General Mills
• Big G Cereals “Great” Award
• Big G “Spirit” Award
• Baking Products General Managers Award
• Annual guest lecturer at University of MN on Starch and Carbohydrate Chemistry
• General Manager’s Award (2) Kraft

Publications

• Breakfast Cereals- Dietary Fiber
• Flavor Chemistry, Foods-Flavor Business, Flavor Optimization
• Iron, fortified processed wheat cereal, (fourteen iron forms using an in vitro digestion/human colonic adenocarcinoma (CaCo-2) cell model)
• Modeling Healthier Whole Grain Foods
• Taste Perception                    

Patents

World patents in the following areas:

• Making methods-Fiber fortified cereals, cereal bars. and snacks.
• Preparation: Quickly dissolving aerated confections

U.S. Patents

• Milling grains: Process (tempering)
• Gel Mix-Quick-set
• Mineral and vitamin-Oligosaccharide encapsulated
• Food fortification-Sodium-free iron complex
• Calcium-fortified cereal product and method of preparation.
• Pre-sweetener calcium coating-RTE cereals
• Preparation-Flaked RTE-(cereal).
• Dispersible dry food mix process
• Emulsions containing soy protein manufacturing
• Water-Soluble gelatin powders-Cold water
• Hydroxypropylating starch-Process

Education

• M.S. Organic Chemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
• B.A.   Chemistry, Rutgers College, Camden, NJ