PURE PRAIRIE POULTRY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
Anita is a passionate, experienced entrepreneur, executive coach, and consultant, who has built and led numerous successful businesses in equine, real estate, and agribusiness over three decades. This includes the co-founding and launching of a zero-to-$100-million- dollar agribusiness in 24 months. Through these experiences, Anita has successfully built brands, teams, and growth strategies while aligning key players and plans through facilitation of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Prior to joining Pure Prairie Poultry, Anita co-founded Prairie's Best Farms, whose mission was to produce unique, natural, high-quality proteins, strengthen family farms, promote humane livestock production, and produce innovative consumer solutions. A graduate of St. Cloud State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations and marketing, Anita and her husband own and operate a ranch, where they breed high performing cutting American Quarter Horses and background cattle for further feedlot production.
native of International Falls, Minnesota, Bob brings more than 30 years of senior executive chicken industry leadership and experience to his role with Pure Prairie Poultry. After serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps, Bob began his poultry career at the ground level, in live receiving for Zacky Farms, where he subsequently learned his way to the top through hands-on experience in nearly every aspect of poultry production. Since that time, Bob has held leadership positions with Draper Valley, AgriStats, Petaluma Poultry, Pitman Farms, and California-based chicken integrator, Foster Farms. Bob is proud to have played an instrumental role in numerous U.S. poultry industry firsts, including the first USDA-approved organic chicken, free range and no-antibiotics-ever chicken, and recognition for sustainability efforts while at Petaluma Poultry. Bob's industry breadth, depth, and knowledge makes him an excellent fit for Pure Prairie Poultry.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Brad is an experienced senior sales leadership professional with a demonstrated history of success in the food and beverage industries. As a strategic, consumer packaged goods sales leader of high-performance work teams, Brad adds to this experience with more than 10 years in poultry industry. Prior to Pure Prairie Poultry, Brad served in sales and marketing leadership roles at Miller Amish Country Poultry and for GNP Company where he led a national field sales team of 35, for the Gold'n Plump and Just BARE chicken brands. Brad also held numerous sales leadership positions at Campbell Soup Company, where he worked with numerous national retailers. Brad earned his Master of Science in Marketing Communications from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Media Studies from the University of Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
- Food Executive
Brian is a highly experienced food executive with more than 30 years of consumer-packaged goods experience and more than 10 years of poultry experience at the executive level. Brian specializes in building culture, strategy, and profitable growth businesses. Prior to joining the Pure Prairie Poultry team, Brian served as Vice President of Sales at GNP Company, where he had a track record of delivering results through values-based leadership. During Brian's tenure at GNP Company, he and his team grew sales from $225 million to $450 million dollars prior to its $350-million-dollar sale to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation. A collaborative leader with the ability to build, train, motivate and mentor highly successful, multi-functional teams to outstanding performance, Brian has substantial experience in strategic planning, production planning, warehouse and distribution management, sales and marketing, and brand management. Brian received his Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas, and his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance & Accounting
David is a seasoned poultry industry veteran with more than 20 years' experience. Before joining the Pure Prairie Poultry team, David worked with Minnesota-based Sparboe Farms and GNP Company, where he developed a robust understanding of the financial nuances, unique to the chicken industry. With substantial technical ability in the areas of cost accounting, sales operations, lean management, budgeting, and strategic and financial planning, David played a key role on the Pure Prairie Poultry acquisition team. His appointment boosts the analytical capabilities for leadership and investors alike, as opportunities continue to evolve in a competitive industry. David is Six-Sigma Lean certified, which has led to the adoption of lean budgeting management processes.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Supply Chain & Logistics
Eva comes to Pure Prairie Poultry with more than 20 years of poultry experience with plant, supply planning, scheduling, SOFP, and process improvement expertise from her experience in a wide variety of industries. Prior to Pure Prairie Poultry, Eva led production planning efforts with Sparboe Farms and the supply chain team in planning, procurement, and warehouse inventory for the medical division with TE Connectivity. Eva previously led process improvement efforts with chicken industry leader, GNP Company, for more than 16 years where she earned both her Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Facilitator certifications. Along with her Master of Business Administration degree from St. Cloud State University, Eva holds certifications as a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM). In addition to her role at Pure Prairie Poultry, Eva leads her local APIC's Chapter, and she is on the advisory board for Bemidji State University's Industrial Technology department.
A Minnesota native, George is an experienced professional with over 30 years of financial experience in building high-growth businesses in the meat and agribusiness industries. Prior to joining Pure Prairie Poultry, George served as Chief Executive Officer for Prairie's Best Farms, where he produced results through his leadership and sound business acumen. In his years of overseeing poultry farming and live operations at Prairie's Best Farms, he helped to create and manage a live network of 75 barns and three-million square feet through his expertise. In addition to agriculture, George had spent a significant amount of his career in banking, followed by a senior leadership role at Christensen Farms, where he led the company's impactful large-scale expansion and advancement efforts. Through executing robust strategies within his role, George helped to increase revenue from $30 million to one-billion dollars within seven years. George is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, and he, along with his wife, Mary, operate a hog finishing operation.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance
Santhosh came to Pure Prairie Poultry from Reno, Nevada-based Armand Agra, where he served as senior director of global Food Safety Quality Assurance and regulatory compliance, and as senior manager of Food Safety Quality Assurance for prepared foods with Tyson, Inc., prior. With demonstrated successes for developing auditing mechanisms and quality metrics to track compliance and program effectiveness, as well as driving best practice sharing across food distribution channels, Santhosh is an expert in managing the tracking and trending of QA data for all finished products. This aligns with Pure Prairie Poultry commitment and vision to provide premium quality chicken products and an exceptional experience for its customers and consumers. Santhosh holds Master of Science degrees in food science and microbiology from Chapman University in Orange County, California and Bangalore University, India, respectively.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Brand & Product Marketing
Tracy is a highly respected and skilled leader in the consumer-packaged meat and poultry industry, where she's acquired a lifetime of experience in all things brand and product development. Spanning the gap between both strategic and logistical thinking for more than 30 years, Tracy consistently has lent her creative energy and knowledge to product and brand innovation from inception to market and beyond. Passionate about the voice of the customer and supporting quality of life for consumers and her team, Tracy strives to match company values with delicious, real food and experiences that resonate to build loyalty with target audiences. Prior to her role with Pure Prairie Poultry, Tracy led product and project development and management efforts for JB Group, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, and GNP Company, where she played an instrumental role in bringing the Gold'n Plump and Just BARE Chicken brands to market. Tracy currently holds a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, and she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications and mathematics from the State University of New York - Oneonta. In her free time, Tracy focuses on the relationships in her life with family and friends, traveling and continuous learning, and regularly plays pickleball to stay active. Tracy also serves on the board of directors for Min-I-Kota Pinto Horse Association, which represents Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota.