MILCGROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Owner and President of Raimondo & Associates
Anthony is the owner and President of Raimondo & Associates. Mr. Raimondo has been representing businesses in labor and employment matters since 2001, and is an expert in all aspects of labor-management relationships. Mr. Raimondo is a specialist in wage and hour and other compensation issues, strategic planning, union avoidance and counter-organizing, collective bargaining, grievance and arbitration, and unfair labor practice defense.
Having grown up in the bay area, he became passionate about agriculture while spending summers baling hay and working cattle. In college, he was introduced to the dairy industry by working as a maintenance person and feeder at the Cal Poly Dairy, where he expanded his passion for unique solutions through innovation and efficiency. Ben has a BS degree in agricultural business and has a diverse background in different types of farming. With his experience in the dairy industry and passion for improving the lives of farmers, he strives to continue finding unique solutions to age old problems.
Job Titles:
- Electrical Engineer
- VP of ENGINEERING
Brett is an Electrical Engineer originally from Los Angeles, California. He earned his Electrical Engineering degree from San Francisco State University. He has over a decade of experience in mechanical and electronics systems; doing repairs, custom design work, freelance design projects, and consulting. Brett has a passion for building, inventing, and creative problem solving.
Bruce brings 30+ years of experience to this role. He received his B.S in Animal Science and his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at University of California, Davis. His experience ranges from private dairy production medicine in California, building a startup dairy in Colorado, management in a global animal health company and private consulting. He brings a passion for helping clients build thriving, excellent businesses.
Caitlin's lifetime has been dedicated to the dairy industry. She grew up on a commercial dairy farm in the Central Valley of California and has experience in several different parts of the dairy industry. She has spent her career working in genetics, reproduction and milking equipment. Caitlin is passionate about the dairy industry and is looking forward to creating innovative solutions for dairymen.
Job Titles:
- CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Cameron grew up on a dairy farm in Arizona. He graduated with a BS degree in Agribusiness Economics, minoring in Business Management, from the University of Arizona in 2013. Following graduation Cameron worked closely with a Dairy Nutritionist providing feeding evaluations and training support for large dairies across Arizona. His experience managing a Dairy Feed Center feeding over 20,000 head of cattle gives him a good perspective on a wide array of challenges on dairy farms. Cameron is passionate about implementing new technologies on farms helping improve their business and simplifying their lives.
Job Titles:
- CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Growing up in central Wisconsin, Chelsea was actively involved in 4-H and FFA. That sparked her interest in agriculture and led her to pursue a degree in Agricultural Studies and Animal Science from UW-River Falls. After graduation, Chelsea worked for various companies in the dairy industry, but found a passion working with dairy data and supporting farmers to find great solutions to help manage their herd. She now resides in Ohio with her husband and two young boys.
Epidemiology - Washington State University He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in 2002. Following an internship in ruminant medicine at the University of Sydney he completed a Master of Veterinary Clinical Studies. Craig's research interests led him to Colorado State University where he completed a PhD exploring the epidemiology of adult dairy cow mortality on Colorado dairies.
DJ has dedicated his career to the dairy industry. Born and raised in California's central valley, he has focused his career on milk quality, udder health, parlor sanitation and dairy automation. DJ played a key role in helping Milc Group enhance and expand our facility product line as a former VP of Product. DJ is a Territory Manager for ABS Global in the central valley of California
Derrick was raised on a family ranch in Idaho and has a BS degree in Agricultural Systems Management from the University of Idaho. She started milking cows as a sophomore in college and quickly became passionate about the dairy industry. With over six years of experience in herd management, feed management, and genetic strategy, she brings a well rounded knowledge base to the table. Derrick is passionate about assisting farms in becoming more efficient and creating profitable strategies for the long game.
Nutrition - California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo Where he is involved in the management of the university dairy herd ( 100 each Holsteins and Jerseys in milk), teaches courses in dairy nutrition and management and works with California dairies in the area of nutritional management.
Job Titles:
- Professor in the Food Animal Production Section, Department
Professor in the Food Animal Production Section, Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Troubleshooting techniques and the application of herd-based tests for metabolic disease problems in dairy herds. He completed his undergraduate and veterinary medical training at The Ohio State University, receiving his BS in 1978 and DVM in 1981.
Job Titles:
- CREATIVE MARKETING SPECIALIST
Jason is a dynamic individual who grew up on his family's dairy in Idaho. After completing his education at Utah State University, where he earned a degree in Communications, Jason embarked on a journey as a Multimedia Journalist at a local TV station in his home state. However, a new passion for marketing and a desire to leverage his dairy knowledge led Jason to transition into a new career. He was the Marketing Director for a local dairy equipment provider before joining MIlc Group. Jason is eager to contribute his unique insight and experience to our team and customers.
Growing up around his grandparent's dairy ignited Jason's passion for the dairy industry. He began managing dairy farms in the California central valley after graduating from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2012 with a BS degree in Dairy Science. With his experience in day-to-day operations, Jason brings valuable ideas and solutions to make dairies more profitable and efficient.
Jennifer was born and raised on a family dairy farm in California and has a BS degree in Agricultural Business Management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She has over 25+ years experience working in information technology and the dairy industry. Jennifer is a National Dairy FARM Animal Care evaluator. She enjoys combining her passion for agriculture with technology and brings experience in business analysis, project management, enterprise resource planning, and customer relationship management.
Jeremy has been involved in the dairy industry for his entire career. His passion for the industry, combined with a drive to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, has been a driving force behind his work. For the first 18 years of his career, Jeremy specialized in selling, installing, and servicing milking equipment, working closely with multiple dairy equipment dealers. Recently, he has concentrated on robotic milking equipment with a focus on technical service and attention to sanitation, milk quality, and milking technique of the robot. Jeremy holds a degree in Electrical Automation and Robotic Technology. He is excited to be a part of the innovative Milc Group team and continue to help enhance technology in the dairy industry.
Having grown up in the displaced decade of the 1960's, he's always believed in big goals and better mousetraps. He attended both Pierce College and Moorpark College focusing exclusively on electrical and software engineering. His first tech job was in 1978 working for a personal computer retailer where he voraciously consumed every aspect of computer related data he could lay hands on. Since that initial job, he worked for nearly a decade engineering solutions in the SCADA and Process Control realm until finally landing in the Dairy Ag-Tech space in 1989.
Job Titles:
- CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Joe has a lifelong passion for the dairy industry. Born and raised among dairies, Joe's roots run deep, with numerous family members owning and operating dairy farms. From an early age, he immersed himself in the world of dairy cattle, by showcasing them from 4th grade through high school. Joe has transformed his love for dairies into a fulfilling career. His hands-on experience spans a wide range of roles, from operating and maintaining feeding equipment, to installing barn equipment, and providing barn service and maintenance. Joe is a dedicated professional eager to make a meaningful impact on our customers and Milc Group.
With over a decade of sales, marketing and operations management experience in a manufacturing climate, Josh has a passion for creating solutions which develop positive results to bring success to versatile work environments. Having grown up in a small town in the Sierra Nevada Foothills surrounded by Agriculture, Josh has always had an interest in working in the Ag industry. After graduating with a B.A in Business Management and Economics from the University of California Santa Cruz, Josh moved to the beautiful city of San Luis Obispo, CA to pursue his career where he met his wife and together, started a family that he loves. Josh is very excited to have an opportunity to bring his experience to Milc Group and be a part of a team that is full of innovation, creativity and passion for the Dairy Industry.
Kevin grew up in the Central Valley of California in the heart of dairy and agriculture. He married into a dairy family where he learned the challenge of dairy farming. He graduated from Westmont College with an economics and business degree and then went on to get his MBA from California State University - Stanislaus while working full time as a CFO with Emanuel Medical Center. He has over 25 years of experience in leading financial and IT organizations in healthcare and dairy manufacturing with his most recent challenge working at Hilmar Cheese Company.
Job Titles:
- CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Lexie grew up on her family dairy farm in Central California. She is a graduate from The Ohio State University with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Communication and Dairy Science. While in college, she worked on a large-scale, research dairy operation, performing many tasks from general animal husbandry to data collection. Prior to joining Milc Group, Lexie worked in the genetics industry, providing support to dairy producers in the Western U.S. with genomic testing and specialized matings to help increase genetic gain and efficiencies within their herd. She is passionate about the dairy industry and bringing technology-based solutions to increase overall profitability on farms.
Luis Vásquez is a retired veteran and is excited to harness his technical expertise as a Production Technician at Milc Group! Luis was born in Managua, Nicaragua and moved to the United States right after the Nicaraguan Civil War in 1980, where he grew up in Los Angeles, CA. Upon graduating high school, Luis immediately joined the military and specialized in finance. He spent 30 years of his life serving our country and was proud to retire in 2017. Luis has been married for 35 years and has two adult kids and a beautiful granddaughter. He is happy to be a part of Milc Group!
Job Titles:
- CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Maisie was raised in a small farming community in Minnesota just northwest of the Twin Cities. The dairy industry has been a major part of her life since childhood. She and her siblings were active in 4-H and FFA showing Milking Shorthorns and Brown Swiss cattle. She had the opportunity to share her passion and love for the dairy industry as a Wright County Dairy Ambassador and Princess and a Wright County Fair Ambassador. Maisie is a recent graduate from South Dakota State University with a degree in Dairy Production and a minor in Communication Studies. While in college, she worked for a family dairy in Elkton, South Dakota where she gained experience working in several different roles for the operation. Although she recently relocated to California, she continues to stay connected to her Minnesota roots where she retains her original herd of Milking Shorthorn and Brown Swiss cattle. Maisie is dedicated to working with producers and to help educate consumers about the benefits of agriculture and the dairy industry.
Manuel brings over 40 years of dairy knowledge and business experience from the family dairy to managing both small and large dairy operations and more than 24 years with the largest software company in the dairy industry. His role in the previous software company ranged from applying software systems and managing development teams to becoming the CEO prior to his departure in early 2017 to create milc group.
Michel brings experience with technical services related to dairy nutrition. Born in southern Brazil, Michel was raised on a small dairy farm. Michel received his BS and MS degrees in animal science from Santa Catarina State University, Brazil. Additionally, Michel completed a PhD in animal science with focus in dairy nutrition at Penn State University, under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Harvatine. Michel joined Cargill Animal Nutrition postdoctoral where he applied his experience in the field with customers improving ration balancing strategies, deploying new technology, and onboarding compelling academic research. Michel is passionate about developing state-of-the-art solutions that can help consultants and producers improve dairy farming efficiency.
Job Titles:
- CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
From the age of 8 years old Mike worked on his family's dairy in California. He worked on every aspect of a dairy operation from cleaning mangers, calf management, and feeding to feed management. During the 2009 Dairy downturn he decided to get an Associates of Science degree in Information Technology and branch out from the dairy. After spending over 30+ years on the family dairy he went to work for a dairy software company where he spent 10 years as a Senior Support Specialist for their feed management software. His passion is the Dairy Industry and assisting customers in their day to day use of software and hardware on their dairy farm operations.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Dairy Science
Professor of Dairy Science and Extension Specialist in Dairy Cattle Reproduction Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin - Madison. After receiving a B.S. degree in Animal Science in 1988 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Paul went on to complete an M.S. degree in 1992 and a Ph.D. degree in 1996 in Reproductive Physiology from the Department of Animal Sciences at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota.
With roots deeply embedded in dairy farming as a fifth-generation dairy farmer, Rachel brings a wealth of hands-on experience and industry insight to our team. Having worked on farms across the U.S. and held various marketing roles within the dairy industry. Rachel is also deeply involved in various dairy and agricultural organizations. Alongside her husband, she proudly owns a herd of Registered Holsteins and spends her free time on the farm west of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Rachel's passion lies in supporting dairy producers in their pursuit of excellence.
Raffael received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in 2006. Following graduation he practiced large and mixed animal medicine with focus Dairy in New York and Idaho. After eight years of practice he worked in Sales and was the Director of Sales and Marketing for milc group until August 2021. Currently, Raffael is a Commercial Research and Technical Services Veterinarian for ImmuCell Corporation.
Ramon has dedicated his career to the Dairy industry. Born and raised in Mexico, he studied Animal Science and worked in multiple roles on dairy farms, from milking cows to herdsman. Ramon was a dairy manager in the California Central Valley prior to joining a dairy software company where he worked for 13 ½ years. He started in the role of dairy software support specialist and spent four years as Software Support Manager. Ramon is passionate about dairy data and providing excellent solutions to customers.
Job Titles:
- CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Ryan grew up on a small row crop farm in Central California. With influences from several aunts and uncles who were dairy farmers in the Western United States, Ryan decided to pursue a degree in Dairy Science at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. Upon graduation, he worked for a genetics company and received his first off farm dairy experience. Early in his career, one of his uncles offered him a partnership in a dairy and custom heifer feeding operation. After 13 years in business Ryan decided to sell his dairy operation and went on to manage a large California dairy. Later he was drawn to the Midwest lifestyle and moved his young family to Illinois, where he managed a crop farm. With the dairy industry still in his blood, Ryan jumped at the opportunity to work with Milc Group and help dairy farmers implement advanced technology.