Dr. Phil Bass is an assistant professor in the department of Animal and Veterinary Science at the University of Idaho. For more information, contact him at pbass@uidaho.edu.

Tim Biela is the senior vice president of operations and the chief food safety officer for AFA Foods, one of the largest producers of ground beef for commercial fast-food and casual-dining restaurants as well as retail groceries. Biela has been actively involved in food-safety technology and quality systems in the food industry for the past 25 years. He is a member of The National Provisioner’s Editorial Board.

Chip Bolton is a principal at J.H. Bolton Communications LLC, with more than 20 years experience in the food packaging industry. For more information, contact him at (864) 525-3494, or chpbolton@gmail.com.

Associate Group Editor, The National Provisioner & Dairy Foods

Sammy Bredar has previously worked as a freelance writer and assistant editor. She graduated from Ball State University in 2022 with a BA in English.

Doug Britton, Ph.D., is manager of the Agricultural Technology Research Program at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. For more information, visit www.atrp.gatech.edu.

Dr. H. Russell Cross has more than 35 years of management experience, holding numerous positions in government, academia and the private sector. He currently holds the position of professor in the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, and is a member of The National Provisioner’s Editorial Board.

Former Editor In Chief, Independent Processor, and Former Editor, National Provisioner. 

Sam Gazdziak has been writing for trade publications since 1997 and joined The National Provisioner in 2004. He helped launch Independent Processor magazine in 2008 as its editor-in-chief.

Editor-in-Chief Andy Hanacek manages the editorial strategy and production of The National Provisioner and several of its associated brands and products. He consistently visits many of the most successful and innovative processors across the country, reporting on protein-processing challenges in exclusive, one-on-one tours of processing facilities and interviews with some of the most respected and esteemed executives in the business. Hanacek contributes more than a decade of journalism experience in a variety of formats.

Leigh Ann Johnston is part of a three-person team leading Tyson Foods’ sustainability efforts at the corporate level and is currently serving the co-chair of the American Meat Institute’s Sustainability Committee. To learn more about Tyson Foods’ sustainability efforts, review the company’s online sustainability report at http://www.tysonfoods.com/Sustainability/2010/Sustainability-At-Tyson-Foods.aspx.

Lynn Knipe is the Extension Processed Meats Specialist and Associate Professor in Food Science and Technology, and Animal Sciences at Ohio State University. He is also a member of The National Provisioner Editorial Board. For more information, contact him at knipe.1@osu.edu or (614) 292-4877.

Andrew Lorenz is president of We R Food Safety! For more information, email him at andrew@werfoodsafety.com.

Douglas J. Peckenpaugh is Group Publisher of Dairy Foods, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, The National Provisioner, and Packaging Strategies for BNP Media. He has nearly three decades of publishing experience following the food industry from farm to fork, covering agriculture, ingredient processing, retail grocery branding, food service menu development, and food product R&D and manufacturing. He serves in leadership roles at his local suburban Chicago food pantry and church. Doug studied Professional and Creative Writing at Purdue University.

Brett Schwemer is a principal with Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz, PC in Washington, D.C. His primary specialty is food safety and labeling law, representing meat and poultry companies and trade associations before USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Brett also specializes in regulatory, compliance, and enforcement matters before other USDA agencies, such as the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.

 Phillip Slater is a Materials and Spare Parts Management Specialist. He is the founder of the information site SparePartsKnowHow.com, and the author of eight books, including Smart Inventory Solutions and The Optimization Trap. For more information please visit www.SparePartsKnowHow.com or www.PhillipSlater.com.

Shawn Stevens is the founding member of Food Industry Counsel LLC, a law firm formed in 2014 to represent the food industry exclusively in regulatory and other matters involving food safety and quality. Contact Stevens at (920) 698-2561 or stevens@foodindustrycounsel.com, or visit his Web site, www.foodindustrycounsel.com.

Suzanne Strassburger is the president and CEO of Strassburger Meats, as well as founder of TheSirloinReport.com.

Steve Valesko is vice president, engineering, for Butterball LLC. He can be reached at svalesko@butterball.com.

Dr. Kurt D. Vogel is the director of the Humane Handling Institute and a professor of animal welfare and behavior at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach out to Dr. Vogel by email: kurt.vogel@uwrf.edu or phone: (715) 425-4704.

Chief Editor, National Provisioner.  

Fred Wilkinson has been writing about food industry news and trends for business audiences for more than 25 years.