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Frontier Management Team

Frontier has assembled a team of managers with both the business skills and personal qualities to maintain the high standards for products, service and responsibility that have been the company's tradition.

Tony Bedard, Chief Executive Officer

Tony came to Frontier in 1991 and subsequently held positions of increasing responsibility in Operations. He has been Frontier's CEO since 2003. Prior to joining the company, Tony was a Production Manager with Winnebago Industries. Tony holds a B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa and an M.S. in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University.

Bill Kooistra, Chief Financial Officer

Bill has been with the company since 1992, when he started as Controller and was promoted to V.P. of Finance in 2000. Prior to joining Frontier, Bill was a partner in the public accounting firm Laird, Kooistra & Co., which was Frontier's auditor from 1983 through 1992. Bill has a B.S. in Statistics and Industrial Administration from Iowa State University and is a Certified Public Accountant with over 23 years of experience working with co-operatives. Bill serves as an Inside Director on Frontier's Board of Directors.

Clint Landis, Chief Marketing Officer

Clint has over twenty years of experience in business management — twelve of those years marketing consumer-packaged goods in both the traditional grocery and the natural food industries. He has held the positions of Product Manager, Category Manager, Director of Marketing, VP of Marketing, and Chief Marketing Officer. Clint first started at Frontier in 1993 as the Category Manager for the co-op's aromatherapy lines and currently oversees all marketing activities for the company. Clint has an MBA from the University of Iowa.

Cole Daily, Vice President of Operations

Cole has been with Frontier since 1991, working in various positions within purchasing and operations management. He spent four months in Weaverville as a member of the transition team following Frontier's acquisition of Aura Cacia. He also worked with the sale of the Frontier organic coffee business. As the purchasing director, Cole helped Frontier grow its pioneering organic spice business into one of the largest in the United States by developing strong relationships with organic suppliers around the world. He holds a B.A. from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and an M.B.A. from the University of Iowa.

Nancy Hinkel, Human Resources Director

Nancy came to Frontier in 2004 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Human Resources department since then. She was promoted to HR Director in 2006. Nancy has seventeen years of human resources experience, including several years of generalist and HR management experience in manufacturing environments. She also managed a small full-service grocery store for nine years. Nancy has a B.A. in Business Administration from Coe College and has taken graduate courses at the University of Iowa. She also has certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources from the HRCI Institute and has been a member of national and local SHRM chapters for over seven years.

Dr. Ravin Donald, Vice President of Quality Assurance and Research and Development

Ravin has been with the company since 1999 and leads Frontier's Quality and Research and Development teams. Prior to joining Frontier, Ravin spent eight years working as a scientist. His research career includes a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Iowa and work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey. Ravin holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Northern Arizona University, and also has a Master's Degree and Bachelor's degrees in Microbiology and Electrical Engineering.

Kathy Larson, Vice President of Sustainability and Education

Kathy has worked at Frontier since 1980 and has held a variety of management positions in Purchasing, Quality Assurance, Research and Development, and Marketing. She has been a member of Frontier's management team from its first formation, and she served two terms on Frontier's Board of Directors. She is currently a member of the United Plant Savers' Board of Directors. Kathy is an herbalist, an aromatherapist, and a strong advocate of organic agriculture. She has traveled to Europe and Asia to source botanicals and establish organic-grower programs for Frontier. In addition to heading Frontier's sustainability programs, Kathy also manages the company's Education and Communications programs.

Steve Shriver, Vice President Aura Cacia

Steve is a pioneer and entrepreneur in the organic and sustainability movement within the United States. He has been in the natural products industry since 1995 and has owned a number of natural skin care companies. The best known is Eco Lips, of which he is chairman and the majority shareholder. A green enthusiast, Steve initiated a solar power project that turned into one of Iowa's largest solar power projects. In 2003 Steve ran from Cedar Falls, Iowa to Cedar Rapids, Iowa (52 miles) in less than nine hours to raise money and awareness for Iowa's homeless population. In 2006 he founded The Organic Endurathon -- a series of 10 marathons in 10 days to raise awareness of organic products.

Bill Porter, Vice President of Sales

Bill, a retired Army Colonel with 27 years military service, has extensive experience in grocery, mass market and natural classes of trade. He has managed sales teams in the Eastern U.S. for organic consumer brands such as Horizon Organic Dairy, Cascadian Farms, and Muir Glen. His responsibilities at Frontier include all aspects of sales activities and broker management for the Frontier, Simply Organic, Aura Cacia and Private Label brands. A graduate of New York University with a B.S. degree in Sociology, Bill also has an M.S. degree in Military Science from the Army Command and General Staff College.