Experience

Nordic Naturals

• United States
• Wellness and Fitness Services
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Product Development Formulator

  • Mar 2020 - Present

  Watsonville, California • Collaborate with the PD Team to develop new best-in-class nutritional supplements and renovate existing formulas as deemed necessary • Research and identify optimal ingredients for new formulations • Support current raw material sourcing and secondary sourcing with technical material review and evaluation • Maintain working knowledge of new and innovative products, regulatory updates, and industry trends • Assist with benchtop formulation and pilot runs for gummy… Show more • Collaborate with the PD Team to develop new best-in-class nutritional supplements and renovate existing formulas as deemed necessary • Research and identify optimal ingredients for new formulations • Support current raw material sourcing and secondary sourcing with technical material review and evaluation • Maintain working knowledge of new and innovative products, regulatory updates, and industry trends • Assist with benchtop formulation and pilot runs for gummy products • Conduct early-stage evaluation of raw materials and potential formulation options to determine feasibility and identify solutions to work through challenges to ensure timely shipment • Work with contract manufacturers, develop blends, obtain and negotiate price quotes, and project manage the manufacturing process for timely delivery • Develop and maintain working relationships with key vendors to maximize ongoing and future project success • Check and approve of documents such as Ingredient and Finished Goods Specifications, Master Formulas, Product Label, and Nutritional Information • Interface with internal departments including purchasing, manufacturing, quality assurance/ quality control, sales and customer service as required • Assist in project management and development process for new international products • Work cross-functionally to troubleshoot technical, formulation, and processing issues during new product development Show less



Central Garden & Pet

• United States
• Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Product Development Scientist - Breeder's Choice

  • Jul 2017 - Feb 2020

  Irwindale, CA • Serve as the sole R&D expert and participate in product development and launch for over 30 new dog and cat products. • Collaborate with sales, marketing, regulatory, quality, and operations to create new product lines from formula creation to brand packaging and product quality. • Lead and design all formula development to ensure alignment with claims, market trends, and regulations, designing over 50 formulas. • Manage over 100 extruded & wet canned formulas for the dog & cat food… Show more • Serve as the sole R&D expert and participate in product development and launch for over 30 new dog and cat products. • Collaborate with sales, marketing, regulatory, quality, and operations to create new product lines from formula creation to brand packaging and product quality. • Lead and design all formula development to ensure alignment with claims, market trends, and regulations, designing over 50 formulas. • Manage over 100 extruded & wet canned formulas for the dog & cat food categories. • Work with third-party suppliers to develop and reformulate canned dog and cat food products. • Perform product test runs for both internal brands and co-manufacturing clients to ensure QA compliance and food safety. • Attend weekly variance meetings to ensure all products contain accurate amounts of raw materials. • Conduct regular analytical experiments, shelf-life studies and testing on products according to policies and procedures. • Collaborate with production manager, extruder operator, and quality assurance staff to review and improve manufacturing technical operation specifications. • Review package weight, ingredients, guaranteed analysis, and claims to ensure brand packaging accuracy prior to sales. • Work with marketing director and controller to develop and manage a $500k R&D budget. • Compile and document technical specifications as internal guidelines for company products and packages. • Keep up-to-date with pet food industry trends and attend training to initiate continuous improvement. • Worked with cross-functional team to review raw materials for cost control and supply chain optimization and renovated10 product formulas, saving $300k in annual costs while maintaining quality. • Updated the quality assurance process to include reviews from the quality and production teams at various phases to identify production issues and inefficiencies in earlier phases of manufacturing. Show less



Hartz Mountain Corporation

• United States
• Manufacturing
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Scientist I, Research & Development

  • Jul 2016 - Jul 2017

  Carlstadt, New Jersey • Performed market research and reviewed literature to develop innovative products in the pet food industry. • Created a new form of vitamin & mineral pellet to be included in bird feed products & formulas, currently awaiting patent. • Reformulated over 15 existing products to improve quality and costs. • Supported 5-7 projects in the dog & cat treat categories, attending trial runs, sending samples out for testing, creating product specification documentations, and assisting with… Show more • Performed market research and reviewed literature to develop innovative products in the pet food industry. • Created a new form of vitamin & mineral pellet to be included in bird feed products & formulas, currently awaiting patent. • Reformulated over 15 existing products to improve quality and costs. • Supported 5-7 projects in the dog & cat treat categories, attending trial runs, sending samples out for testing, creating product specification documentations, and assisting with packaging review. • Worked with local pet store to measure acceptability and palatability of new bird products using their birds. • Created “pet panel” to assess consumer’s product feedback via email and product trials. • Oversaw batching, blending, and hot/cold extrusion process of new products during line trials.

• Laboratory Technician

  • Aug 2015 - Jul 2016

  Carlstadt, New Jersey • Designed and performed stability studies on over 50 new and current products to determine longest shelf life of products • Coordinated acceptability, palatability, and dental studies to track product performance. • Created and updated finished product and raw material specifications to ensure consistency of production.



Genomic Health

• United States
• Biotechnology Research
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Histology Intern

  • Jun 2012 - Sep 2012

  Redwood City, CA • Organized and retrieved samples and documents accurately within the allocated time frame • Entered and printed necessary labels and documents • Archived and managed over 120,000 specimens • Assisted with training and orientation of other employees • Maintained confidentiality regarding all phases of laboratory work and findings