Zinpro Corporation promotes Candyce Trautwein to Chief Financial Officer

Candyce Trautwein will help drive Zinpro's vision and commitment to the health and wellbeing of animals and people by focusing on the financial health of the company.

Zinpro Corporation, a provider of animal nutrition solutions, has promoted Candyce Trautwein to chief financial officer.

Source: Zinpro.com

In this role, she will be responsible for outlining the strategic direction for the company's global Accounting and Finance teams and building the financial tools and processes to support the company's growth in the years to come.

Ms Trautwein also will leverage her established relationships and business knowledge to drive excellence in financial planning with leaders across the global organisation. 

"Candyce has built a world-class finance team during her time here at Zinpro," says Rob Sheffer, president and CEO of Zinpro. "She is an exceptional leader and will use her enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit to inspire our organisation to achieve business goals.'

In addition to her time on Zinpro's financial team, Ms Trautwein brings 13 years of experience to the role and will continue to be based at the company's headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

"Candyce lives our Zinpro core values daily as she builds trust and partnerships with our employees and customers," Mr Sheffer continues. 

"Under her leadership, the finance organisation actively engages with the business, allowing Zinpro to deliver the highest quality solutions, services and products to customers across the globe."

For further information, visit the company website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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Mike Gauss to join AFIA as chair-elect in 2022

The American Feed Industry Association's (AFIA) Board of Directors voted in a special election to accept the nomination of Mike Gauss, president of Kent Nutrition Group, Inc., to become the Board chair-elect of the organisation. Mr Gauss will succeed current Board chair Mike Schuster, vice president of sales at Laidig Systems, Inc., in May 2022.

Mike Gauss
Image credit: AFIA

'We are thrilled that Mike Gauss has committed to leading the AFIA Board of Directors next spring, bringing with him years of technical knowledge and industry experience that will challenge us to keep moving the industry forward in innovative ways,' says AFIA President and CEO Constance Cullman. 'Mike understands what animal food manufacturers need in order to bring solutions to a competitive global marketplace and will help us shape our advocacy program.'

Mr Gauss joined the Kent team in 2005 as a division engineer with Grain Processing Corporation, where he held several operations and engineering roles before transitioning to Kent Nutrition Group in 2013. He was promoted to vice president of operations in 2015, where he oversaw the engineering, production and quality division, and was promoted to president in 2019.

Mr Gauss currently serves on the AFIA Board of Directors and Executive Committee and has been an active member in the AFIA Production Compliance Committee for many years. He also serves on the Iowa State University Agricultural and Bio-Systems Engineering External Advisory Council and on the Eastern Iowa Community College Board of Directors.

Mr Gauss holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from St. Ambrose University. He and his wife have three children and live in Muscatine, Iowa.

For more information about AFIA visit their website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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The first CleanTreat® vessel has made it into Norwegian waters

Benchmark will deploy the salmon industry's first new medicinal treatment in over a decade, exclusively in conjunction with their breakthrough water purification system.

Image credit: Benchmark Holdings

Trond Williksen, CEO of Benchmark Holdings, the aquaculture biotechnology company, welcomed the first CleanTreat® vessel into Norwegian waters on Saturday 31 July, ahead of its first commercial deployment. It marks a major milestone in the use of Benchmark's transformational sea lice treatment, Ectosan® Vet, following full regulatory approval in Norway last month.

CleanTreat® is a cutting-edge water purification system that removes medicines from treatment water before safely returning cleaned water to the sea. The system is the first of its kind and is a major stepping-stone in supporting the sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry. The system also removes the organic material from treatment water including sea lice, egg strings, fish scales and faecal matter — an essential step in combating parasitic resistance to medicines.

The CleanTreat® vessel, which arrived in Norway on Saturday, is the culmination of over a decade of innovation, research and extensive trials. After winning the Nor-Fishing Innovation Award in 2019, the CleanTreat® system has been further developed and refined. The vessel arrives with a full maritime crew, plus eight fully trained Benchmark technicians and specialist chemists, highly qualified to operate this system.

Benchmark intends to have two CleanTreat® vessels operating in Norway during this season, with the ability to add additional capacity to meet customer demand. The industry has responded very positively to the news that Benchmark has received all relevant regulatory approvals, and that Ecotsan® Vet and CleanTreat® are now commercially available in Norway.

Following the arrival of the vessel in Norwegian waters, Mr Williksen said, 'I am pleased to welcome the first CleanTreat® vessel in Norway. As an innovative aquaculture biotechnology company, we are truly excited to bring this much-needed solution to the vital salmon industry in Norway. It will drive sustainability and increased yields through improved animal welfare, while also protecting the environment. I want to thank my teams who have been working tirelessly to bring this innovative and essential product to market.'

Neil Robertson, Head of Operations at Benchmark Animal Health, said, 'Today marks a major milestone in Benchmark's journey to support a more sustainable aquaculture industry and create a future where no chemicals are applied directly to the sea. I am proud to finally see the CleanTreat® system now ready for commercial use, following over a decade of research, development and trials. We look forward to working with our customers and partners in the deployment of this innovative new solution in Norway in the coming weeks.'

For more information about Benchmark visit their website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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