Direct our new product development strategy across Seaboard Foods key brands: Prairie Fresh and Daily’s. Lead a team that targets ten or more new product launches each year across our product lines. Lead efforts in developing products in new value added product lines under existing and new brands. Assist team members in the implementation of a stage gate product development process to drive cross functional communication on innovation projects, and increase development efficiency.Collaborate with ingredient and equipment vendors to troubleshoot operational challenges. Assist marketing team members with TURF analyses, market analyses, focus groups, and consumer research.

Led Research & Development efforts and managed the R&D team out our Dallas and Saginaw facility. Delegated projects for existing and new product lines to further grow the company's portfolio. Directly worked and discussed with upper management metrics behind R&D efforts from project conception to commercialization. Analyzed success rates, areas of future growth and opportunity, contribution to sales, and contribution to total production.Contributed to our internal team that analyzed and provided guidance how to grow Standard Meat as a custom protein solution provider for customers across all channels.Coordinated the annual summer internship program. Program included hiring for departments including R&D, Operations, FSQA, and Supply Chain. Oversaw candidate evaluation, interview scheduling, candidate selections, ongoing summer communication, and intern evaluations.

Develop new and modify current offerings (line extensions, clean-label, etc.) to meet customer specifications. Conduct bench-top, pilot plant, and commercial plant trials. Assist with troubleshooting production issues which include reformulations, raw material analyses, and processing procedure adjustments. Work alongside seasoning suppliers to develop new seasoning blends for product development and maximizing formula performance.

Served as a teaching assistant for three courses: Introduction to Animal Science labs, Industrial Meat Processing course, and one of two teaching assistants for the Texas Barbecue course. For the Intro to Animal Science lab, I taught and introduced students to the variety of studies in animal agriculture including breeds and species of livestock, the purpose for livestock animals, how livestock animals are evaluated, and how they have been studied for their variety of uses in our world's history and in today's world. For the Industrial Meat Processing course, I coordinated labs meant to give graduate students hands on experience with meat processing both as a lab team leader and the teaching assistant. Lab experiences included biochemical analyses, thermal processing scheduling, and processing procedures for a variety of further processed meat products (such as emulsions, comminutions, marination, formed and sectioned, fermented and dried, etc.). I also lectured on topics including non-meat ingredients and research & development in the food insutry.For the Texas Barbecue course, I assisted in cooking a variety of barbecue products from different animal-derived species with a variety of materials and cooking methods. I coordinated a team of four to six undergraduate teaching assistants to prepare and serve products to the entire class. I also instructed students regarding equipment and cooking methods.My second assignment was employment as a student worker at Rosenthal Meat Science & Technology Center. Here I worked in all areas of the lab including harvest, fabrication, further processing, smokehouse operation, and packaging. I specialized in producing value-added meat products such as fresh, cured, and fully cooked sausages, pumped and dried cured bacon, combo-cured country-style hams, marinated beef for fajitas, and more.I also assisted with Texas A&M's AgriLife extension courses such as Beef 101, Beef 706, Camp Brisket, and Creative Sausage Making.

Summer intern as a member of the Jimmy Dean refrigerated team. Two summer projects that focused on product concept and feasibility in the research and development process. I worked with members spanning from regulatory to plant production to financial management. After completing benchmark and pilot plant trials, I presented final learnings, data, and recommendations moving forward to the entire R&D team of Downers Grove, Illinois and Springdale, Arkansas.

The program included sow and nursery farm rotations. I played a developing role in the management of a 2,800 head sow farm with on average 3,500 piglets and management of six person team who all primarily speak Spanish. Management’s focus: -Farrowing, gestation, and breeding barns -Task training-Safety training-Flow/Shipping scheduling-Pork bio-security practices-Herd health-InventoryAfter seven months into my rotations, I moved to Perryton, Texas to assist in the development of sow farms acquired by Seaboard that underwent complete re-population. This project also included training both management and staff personnel about Seaboard Foods standards and procedures.