Dave Duffy Email & Phone Number

Provide expertise in developing strategic solutions and technical insulation for marketable innovations.R&D structure optimization, NPD processes optimization, Value Stream Mapping the NPD process to eliminate waste and speed up results.Provided due diligence and integration planning for acquisitions and new company/division start ups.Provide solutions to difficult formulation, processing and operational challenges.Provide solutions for clean label, allergen free, sustainability, extended shelf life, quality improvement, reduced cost and operationally efficient formulas and process technologies. Source key ingredients. Support top talent recruitment and retention efforts for R&D. Support development of critical culinary talent and mindset within R&D. Manage complex technical projects and teams. Manage new product start ups from concept through full scale commercialization/start upDevelop new, effective business processes to speed up incremental and breakthrough innovations. Food categories include: Bakery, Bars, Cereals, Desserts, Pizzas, Nutrition Bars, Nutrition Beverages, Confections, Fruit Snacks, Chocolates, Gummies, Salty Snacks. Branded and Private label. Frozen and Shelf Stable.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us

Provide expertise to support small companies R&D and QA teams, to solve significant technical and operational challenges, and to develop effective R&D strategies/roadmaps and provide mentoring to key R&D and QA leaders.

Buffalo, Ny, Us

Strategically led and developed R&D, Packaging and Sensory departments across 5 major food categories with Rich Products, Inc Developed and implemented aggressive growth strategies with cross functional executive team, through innovation, business process improvements and margin improvement. Brought culinary thinking and skills into R&D to better align strategically with customers and create better innovations across the board. Rich Products is a global, family-owned, fast-growing, $3.5 billion industry leader in the food industry, well diversified in wide range of food categories including: bakery, pizza, non-dairy whipped toppings, donuts, muffins, cakes, ice cream products, Farm Rich brand appetizers (chicken wings, cheese sticks, potato skins, jalapeno poppers, etc), SeaPak brand seafood products, Byron's brand BBQ meats, Carvel brand ice cream cakes, F'Real brand milkshakes, breads, rolls, and energy bars. Channels include the grocery trade, food service, club stores, convenience stores, and restaurants.

Developed and led R&D staff, R&D strategies and new business process development, resulting in a high performing, diverse team of directors, food scientists, packaging engineers, chemical engineers, equipment design engineers, directors, project managers and technicians. Successfully commercialized dozens of profitable new products, while improving and dramatically reducing costs of existing products. Assured collaborating cross functionally from concept through commercialization. Developed several new corporate-wide business processes for effective New Product Development, Quality Assurance and COGS reduction. Designed and built the company's' first pilot plant - a state of the art technical center and showcase. Also, developed successful strategies implementing major cost savings, process improvements and product improvement across 7 production facilities in the US and Canada. Led company's technical sales support, presenting to major customers including: Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, Kroger, Albertson's, etc.

• Developed and led staff of 40 process engineers, equipment engineers and technicians for the Drug Eluting Stent Division across two sites: Minnesota and Galway, Ireland. • Developed and executed strategies to commercialize highly profitable new product lines, including the Taxus® brand drug eluting stent process – the most successful new product in medical device history with a revenue of $2.5 billion/yr.• Harmonized manufacturing operations between Minnesota and Ireland manufacturing sites, reducing costs, improving quality, tak time and labor efficiency. • Assured effective process validation protocols and start ups for all new products.• Developed and implemented cost savings strategies resulting in $32million annual cost savings.• Improved yields from 70% to 97%, resulting in $40 million annual cost savings.• Quadrupled manufacturing capacity with automated processing technology.• Developed the company’s first automated visual inspection technology to replace human inspection of stents, resulting in $4.2 million annual labor savings.• Started up and validated the company’s first polymer synthesis plant with complete compliance to FDA pharmaceutical regulations.• Implemented Six Sigma problem solving philosophy, resulting in 50% reduction in problem solving timelines as well as verification of root cause elimination.

Full P&L responsibility for this VC-owned start up of nutritional, value added, ingredients. Developed company strategies including naming the company, developing the vision, mission and strategic plans for growth. Built and hired highly effective functions: R&D, direct sales staff, US/Canada broker network, customer service and marketing. Created new R&D lab, pilot plant and production facility. Led company from startup to quickly become recognized as the leading, innovator in nutritional inclusions in the food ingredient industry. Led the creation of a dynamic, strategic portfolio which included nutritional additives/inclusions for nutrition bars, RTE cereals, weight management snacks and healthy baked goods. Examples included: Several product innovations were featured on the covers of leading food industry trade journals. Led the top line growth to $45 million with a $5+ million EBITDA in 3 years.

Developed and led strategies for R&D and QA with a staff of over 70 scientists, engineers and technicians across 7 locations in the US and Canada. Supported the growth of the company from $20MM to $350MM in 11 years. Products and processes included RTE cereals/granolas, Bars, Canned Pasta, Canned Meats, Popcorn, Confections, and Cooking Sprays. $2 billion branded and private label CPG company included: Chef Boyardee, Crunch N Munch, Bumble Bee, etc. Successfully sold company to Conagra in 2000.

Ms, Quality Assurance And Six Sigma

Bs, Chemical Engineering

Mba, Marketing