George Chamberlain received his MS and Ph.D degrees in aquaculture from Texas A&M University. In 1990, he joined Ralston Purina Company, where he directed its aquaculture feeds program in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In 1998, he moved to Monsanto where he directed a program on genetic selection, soy-based feeds, and sustainable pond systems for marine shrimp. In 1999, he and Ken Morrison developed Black Tiger Aquaculture, an integrated shrimp farm in Malaysia. In 2004, they established Integrated Aquaculture International, a technology company which currently owns or manages shrimp breeding, nutrition, and production facilities in Asia and the Americas.
Chamberlain served as President of the World Aquaculture Society in 1996. In 1997, he assisted in founding the Global Aquaculture Alliance and continues to serve as President. GAA began by providing a science-based response to critics, but it soon progressed to development of Best Aquaculture Practices certification standards to guide the industry forward. Today, nearly 2 billion pounds of seafood are certified to BAP standards.
Kurt Collins is the Senior Director of Commodity Risk Management at Unified Foodservice Purchasing Cooperative (UFPC), which is the purchasing cooperative for domestic KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s and A&W restaurants. Mr. Collins oversees the analysis of commodity markets and government affairs and is responsible for managing the commodity risk management portfolio for the cooperative. Prior to joining UFPC, Mr. Collins was the Director of Research at Brock & Associates in Milwaukee, WI and was the grain analyst for Informa Economics (Sparks Companies) in Memphis, TN. Mr. Collins holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business management from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University.
Parry Dixon is ADM Economist at ADM Corporate headquarters in Decatur, Illinois. Parry joined ADM in 1984. As ADM Economist, he is responsible for economic analysis in addition to price forecasting for commodities. Prior to joining ADM, Parry worked for a large brokerage firm in Chicago, Illinois. In total, he has 26 years of experience in agricultural economics. Parry grew up on a small crop farm in Idaho with dairy and beef operations. He received a bachelor of science degree in agronomy from Brigham Young University. Parry went on to graduate with both a masters of science degree and a doctorate degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Curt Goulding is Sr. Vice President of Global Sales for FCStone, LLC. Curt is a 1977 graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in Agricultural Economics. He began his career with Cargill Nutrena Feeds. In 1982 he began working for Farmers Commodities Corporation (now FCStone, LLC) in Denver, Colorado. In 1992 he started developing risk management programs for consumptive demand in Mexico. In 1996 the Latin American Division was formed with Curt as the director. In February of 2005 Curt moved to Campinas, São Paulo in Brazil to start FCStone do Brasil. Curt served as president until his return to the US in June of 2009. Since returning to the US, Curt has focused on international business development with the INTL FCStone offices outside the US. Additionally, Curt is responsible for expanding and developing risk management business with the INTL FCStone offices east of the Mississippi River.
Ahmet Hepdogan, Vice President of Procurement , Ferrara Candy Company
Ferrara’s portfolio of iconic brands includes Brach’s, Lemonheads, Black Forest, and Trolli. Ferrara Candy with annual sales of $1 Billion is in a leadership position in non-chocolate confectionary segment, and is headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. Prior to joining Ferrara Candy, Ahmet has held supply chain related positions at C. H. Robinson, Global Risk Management, U.S. Foods, and ARYZTA. Ahmet has a Masters of Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Ahmet, a native of Izmir Turkey, and currently resides in Chicago.