Brock Ferguson Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

Berlin, Berlin, De

Bronx, New York, Us

As Senior Director of Food Safety, Quality Assurance, & Regulatory Compliance, I provide leadership and promote collaboration to help make this happen: Since 1943, the bakeries of Brooklyn Brands have baked the most authentic, natural indulgences around. What started in a small kitchen in Brooklyn more than 75 years ago has grown into the leading baker of handcrafted babkas, cookies, cakes and breads in North America. While we have innovated new treats and added new brands, we continue to craft the most delicious artisanal baked goods imaginable. We love to bake the things you love to eat.

New York, Ny, Us

• Established an initial strategic framework to build a company-wide culture of Food Safety and Quality within a rapidly growing startup manufacturer of RTE products.- I assigned direct accountability for Food Safety and Quality initiatives across multiple departments in an organized and logical fashion, connecting individual and team efforts to achieve the best possible outcome.• Created a clear roadmap for both short and long-term success of newly developed policies and their implementation.• Set KPIs and performance metrics aligned with each facility’s Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and the overall vision of the company.• Mentored members of plant management to support the achievement of individual and departmental goals.

New York, New York, Us

• Led and implemented Quality Assurance and Food Safety programs across multiple facilities nationwide in a start-up environment, minimizing cost while maximizing effectiveness.- Wrote company’s first comprehensive recall plan, working cross-functionally across multiple departments to educate, train, and ensure understanding of all responsibilities, timelines, and dependencies.- Led mock recall exercises to test effectiveness and identify improvement opportunities in recall plan.• Oversaw implementation of automated reporting systems, employee training, supplier documentation, sanitation programs, and environmental monitoring.• Expanded Food Safety and Quality Assurance initiatives as company scales.

Wilton, Ct, Us

• Developed, implemented, led, and managed Quality Assurance and Food Safety programs in compliance with FSMA across multiple co-manufacturing, internal manufacturing, and warehousing locations.- Trained and educated employees to ensure successful and sustainable adaptation of programs.- Reviewed programs on a routine basis for effectiveness and improvement opportunities.• Led Root Cause Analysis Process and Continuous Improvement initiatives across over 20 co-manufacturing and warehousing locations, in partnership with respective site management teams.- Successes ranged from correction of equipment design issues, calibration of in-house plant laboratory equipment, third-party laboratory test methodologies, and overall compliance to product specifications.- Continuous Improvement efforts led to increased process stability, control, and product consistency between sites.• Cost savings exceeded over $50K a year by collecting and analyzing historical data from routine laboratory testing and determining where nutrient-testing frequencies can be reduced based on low risk.• Supported process validation and verification efforts at various sites, including biological kill-steps, foreign material controls, and allergen management.• Audited existing and new manufacturing sites for compliance to Blue Buffalo policies, including site programs, sanitation, records/supporting documentation, employee training, equipment design, and infrastructure.• Achieved SQF Certification for Blue Buffalo’s Midwest warehouse and distribution center (first in company history).• Assisted in start-up of Blue Buffalo’s first company-owned facility through qualifying new processes and equipment, in addition to preparing site Quality programs and work instructions for SQF certification.• Created Blue Buffalo’s first on-site sample retention and commercial product review programs.

Greater Chicago Area, Il, Us

• Managed Micro Lab and Quality Lab Technicians for all of 2nd shift. Ensured Quality, Food Safety, and Regulatory compliance of finished product through documentation, production line, and employee audits; owned all Microbiological programs including Pathogen Environmental Monitoring (PEM) and Clean Equipment Swab (CES) programs at one of Kraft Foods’ largest North American plants.• Brands produced at Kraft Foods’ Dover facility spanned several categories distributed domestically and internationally, including products such as Jell-O (Gelatin, Pudding, No-Bake Pies & Cakes, etc.), Shake ‘n Bake, Stove Top Stuffing, Baker’s Coconut, and Minute Tapioca, as well as beverage products including Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, Country Time Lemonade, and Tang.• FSSC 22000:2010 facility audit yielded zero non-conformities.• Drove continuous improvement in all facility Quality programs including environmental monitoring.- Examples included changing laboratory testing methodologies and teaching technicians to effectively isolate and identify pathogens of concern, eliminating subsequent line downtime caused by false positives.• Directed facilities’ Raw Material Testing Program utilizing SAP for over 250 microbiologically sensitive ingredients.• Led employee training seminars and internal audits to reduce plant-controllable holds and consumer complaints. - 20% decrease in consumer complaints per million (CPM).- 7% drop in plant-controllable holds.• Re-evaluated Quality programs to identify improvement opportunities based on current plant needs.- Redesigned Sanitation program to simplify current equipment cleaning monitoring process.- Aligned Period Infrastructure Cleaning (PIC) and Period Equipment Cleaning (PEC) programs to integrate seamlessly into Production scheduling.

Étoy, Vaud, Ch

• Implemented Quality and Food Safety programs; maintained cross-functional role with Operations; directed inventory and order allocation; designated product routing procedures; corrected specification and logistical errors; outperformed Quality goals; reduced waste and improved vendor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).• Initiated campaigns to improve Standard Operating Procedures by optimizing program specifications. - Incorporated ISO 9001:2008 guidelines into Quality policies.- Developed databases to make all Operational/Quality data accessible and increase efficiency.- Results included a reevaluation and official update of Standard Operating Procedures.• Minimized customer rejections and subsequent financial losses. - 1.6% total program rejection rate for 2011 significantly beat program goal of 5.0%.• Spearheaded cross-departmental corrective action efforts on Supply Chain Quality and policy deviations.

• Conducted and implemented multiphase agricultural process of growing mushrooms for commercial sale; upheld Food Safety and Quality standards; managed work force of 30 employees.- 100% pass rate for third-party facility audits of food safety and agricultural audits.- Designed protocols in line with Mushroom Good Agricultural Practices and USDA compliance.

Bachelor’S Degree, Biological Sciences

Biology, Biology, General