Kemin adds team members to new Proteus Solutions Group

Kemin Industries adds new team members to the Kemin Food Technologies group following the acquisition of Proteus Industries earlier this year.

With Kemin now producing and suppling the Proteus product line, Kemin Food Technologies – Americas has expanded its team to support these products and solutions.

Bill Fielding, business director, was previously CEO of Proteus Industries for 12 years. He now leads the Kemin Proteus group. He is responsible for the general management of Kemin Proteins, as well as business strategy and global expansion. Fielding earned his bachelor’s degree from Furman University.

Steve Kelleher, research fellow, is the inventor of Proteus clean-label yield-enhancement technology. In his role at Kemin, he will be responsible for R&D, technical customer support, intellectual property and regulatory support. Kelleher was president/chief scientist at Proteus Industries for 19 years, and prior to that he was an extension specialist at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst for 15 years. He earned his master’s degree in food science from Cornell University and his doctorate in food chemistry from the University of Massachusetts.

Kevin Pentz, operations manager, will oversee all operations and operational facilities, including expansion and growth projects for Proteus solutions. Pentz has an extensive background in the food industry, including working as the corporate vice-president of Proteus, senior vice-president of operations at Creekstone Farms and as a general manager for Tyson. He spent 15 years at Cargill as a leadership development program participant, general manager and director of quality assurance. He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska.

Scott Gardner, principal technical services manager, will handle customer project implementation, formulation and technical support for Proteus solutions. He has 36 years of experience in the meat industry and has been R&D process improvement and department leader for the last two decades. Gardner has processing knowledge in seafood, pork, chicken and beef and is certified in three categories by AIB International, a food safety consulting agency, and is HACCP-certified in US Department of Agriculture and US Food and Drug Administration Seafood. He earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture with a concentration in meat science from the University of Kentucky.

“We are very excited to grow the Proteus business as part of Kemin Food Technologies,” said Bill Fielding, Proteus business director, Kemin Food Technologies – Americas. “Expanding Kemin’s key platforms to include functional proteins is an exciting challenge and a synergistic effort for our team, as Proteus technology will enable Kemin customers to improve quality and yield while meeting clean-label and cost-savings initiatives, which is more important now than ever.”