“As our product development manager at Burke since 2005, Andrew was a significant resource in developing products for our industrial customers’ products and gained a great understanding of how Burke can best meet our customers’ needs for a consistent, quality product and a fast turnaround,” says Doug Cooprider, vice president of sales and marketing. “Andrew’s R&D knowledge and operations experience will be very beneficial for our manufacturer customers -- he’s the right man to grow our important industrial division.”

Prior to joining Burke Corporation, Michaelsen worked as a research assistant at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture studies with a meat science emphasis and a Master of Science degree in meat science and animal science at Iowa State University

Burke also announced Alex Segebart has been promoted from meat technologist to product development manager within the research and development department. Segebart will be responsible for supervising a team of product development technicians and developing custom formulations according to customer specifications.

“Since Alex joined Burke’s research and development team in 2006, he has been instrumental in the development of innovative products sold under the Burke umbrella of brands and has been diligent in ensuring that product formulations were consistently made to fit customer needs,” says Casey Frye, Ph.D., vice president of research and development. “These attributes combined with his leadership skills and his knowledge of USDA and FSIS standards are a great benefit to Burke and Burke’s customers.”

Prior to joining Burke Corporation, Segebart was a technical service representative for Jif-Pak Inc. in Vista, Calif.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in agriculture studies with an agronomy minor from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. He remains active in farming the operation at Segebart Farms, Vail, Iowa

From the January 5, 2009, Prepared Foods e-Flash