Key Team Members
Greg Mellinger
Chief Executive Officer, HighQuest Partners
Greg Mellinger is the chief executive officer of HighQuest Partners, LLC, Soyatech's parent company. Mr. Mellinger works with Fortune and Global 500 manufacturing, industrial conglomerate, banking, asset management, insurance and financial service clients to help envision new strategies and achieve key business goals related to growth, M&A, management excellence, and corporate governance. Mr. Mellinger oversees HighQuest Partners’ consulting, marketing, and back office operations to ensure high client satisfaction, quality, and productivity.
Prior to founding HighQuest Partners, Mr. Mellinger served in senior executive capacities at two other large Northeast-based consulting firms (PRT Group and RCM Technologies) specializing in business re-engineering, outsourcing and application development solutions for Fortune and Global 500 corporations. During that time, Mr. Mellinger developed and led novel consulting practices of several hundred consulting professionals. His primary responsibilities included leading large consulting practices, driving the M&A function and overseeing firm wide shared service operations.
Prior to his consulting career, Mr. Mellinger was an infantry officer in the US Army stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington and at Fort Benning, Georgia. Mr. Mellinger has also served as a Board and Advisory Committee member of several large publicly traded and privately held organizations. Mr. Mellinger received a B.S. in European History from The United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
Contact Greg at: gmellinger@highquestpartners.com.
Chris Erickson
Chief Executive Officer, Soyatech
Chris Erickson is chief executive officer of Soyatech and a partner of HighQuest Partners. Since 2006, Mr. Erickson has been responsible for the formation of the highly regarded Soyatech conference programs. In addition, he oversaw the redevelopment of Soyatech's website and the creation of the Soyatechevents portal.
Prior to joining HighQuest Partners, Mr. Erickson worked for Abbott Labs in sales and sales management positions. Before joining Abbott Mr. Erickson served four years in the US Army as an armor officer assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. He held various direct leadership roles as a platoon leader and executive officer. Before leaving the service, Mr. Erickson was assigned as the senior logistics officer of a tank battalion, with direct oversight of the budget and all non-combat resources.
Mr. Erickson received his MBA from Georgia Southern University and B.S. in Marketing from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
Contact Chris at: cerickson@soyatech.com
Keri Hayes
Publisher & Events Director
Keri Hayes is publisher and events director at Soyatech. Ms. Hayes' duties over the last 13 years have ranged from layout of the Soya & Oilseed Bluebook to hand coding the original website at Soyatech.com to assisting Soyatech clients with their promotional needs through advertising, conference participation and online recognition. In her current role as Publisher, she oversees the creation of the annual directory and works with the marketing department on Soyatech's promotional materials.
As Events Director, Ms. Hayes coordinates all of the logistics for Soyatech events around the world including the Soya & Oilseed Summit, Global Soybean & Grain Transport and Soyfoods2009.
Prior to joining Soyatech, Ms. Hayes worked at a local newspaper as the production manager and sportswriter. She received a B.A. in Communications from Muhlenberg College.
Contact Keri Hayes at keri@soyatech.com.
Joe Jordan
General Manager & Content Director
Joe Jordan is general manager and content director for Soyatech. As such, Mr. Jordan is responsible for Soyatech's news program, including the production of Soyatech eNews Daily and Soyatech eNews Weekly. He also oversees the Soyatech web site and production of webinars on the Soyatech platform.
In addition, Mr. Jordan is responsible for the content design and production at Soyatech events, including Soya & Oilseed Summit, Global Soybean and Grain Transport and Soyfoods2009. Mr. Jordan speaks at industry events around the world for Soyatech.
Before joining Soyatech, Mr. Jordan was a freelance journalist for newspapers and magazines and ran a diversified family business.
Contact Joe Jordan at joe@soyatech.com.
Mark Dineen
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Mr. Dineen brings to his position more than two decades of senior level experience in event management, sales, marketing and operations with some of the leading firms in the field. Prior to joining Soyatech, he was Managing Director of WCD Expo Inc., where he oversaw all aspects of the business including marketing, operations, sales and relationship building with key stakeholders. Previously, he served as Vice President of Business Development and Director for HA Bruno LLC; Managing Director/VP ICT Group of Hannover Fairs/CeBIT; and Group Operations Director and General Manager, International, of Miller Freeman/CMP Inc.
He has been consistently recognized as a leader in convention management, receiving the Expo Group Director of the Year Award in 2003 from the EXPO Group, a leading industry association, among other commendations. Mr. Dineen, who will work from his base in Huntington, New York, earned a B.S. degree in Marketing from Fairfield University.
Contact Mark Dineen at mdineen@soyatech.com
Ann Parker
Sales Director
Ann Parker is sales director for Soyatech. She has broad responsibility for the range of marketing opportunities available in The Soya & Oilseed Bluebook, this web site, Soyatech eNews Daily and Soyatech eNews Weekly and Soyatech-produced events such as the Soya & Oilseed Summit and Critical Insight Webinars.
Contact Ann Parker at aparker@soyatech.com.
Mark Phillips
Marketing & Media Consultant
Mark D. Phillips is a marketing and media consultant for Soyatech. His responsibility is to understand customer needs and provide solutions to help them grow their businesses.
Before joining Soyatech, Mr. Phillips worked extensively in sales, sales management, marketing and business development over the last 15 years for companies such as Down East Magazine, the Bangor Daily News and as president/owner of Phillips Consulting Group, Inc. Prior to his career in marketing, Mr. Phillips served 4 years in the US Air Force as an instructor, operator and supervisor on the Over the Horizon Backscatter Radar system.
Mr. Phillips is a graduate of Dale Carnegie Training and Integrity Sales Training.
Contact Mark Phillips at mphillips@soyatech.com.
Philippe de Lapérouse
Director of Global Food and Agribusiness Practice
Philippe de Lapérouse is director of HighQuest Partners’ Global Food and Agribusiness Practice and St. Louis, Missouri office. Mr. de Lapérouse has more than 20 years experience in senior leadership positions with global companies in the agro-industrial and value-added food chain as well as in private equity investing. Prior to joining HighQuest Partners, Mr. de Lapérouse was a principal at Vanikoro Advisory LLC where he advised clients on their financial and global expansion strategies.
Previously, as director of business development for Bunge North America, Inc., the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), he was responsible for the company’s efforts to expand its industrial operations into Mexico and the Caribbean Basin, biotech and e-commerce initiatives and public relations/corporate communications (before and after Bunge’s successful IPO in 2001). Mr. de Lapérouse was also associated with the Fund for Large Enterprises in Russia (FLER),a private equity fund investing in Russian enterprises and joint ventures with Western companies, where he was responsible for the firm’s flagship Moscow office and overseeing investment activity, and Ralston Purina International (industrial and consumer packaged goods), where he held senior line management positions in both the United States and Europe.
Mr. de Lapérouse received his M.B.A. from The Darden School of Business at The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia and his B.A. from Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut.
Contact Philippe at pdelaperouse@highquestpartners.com.
Sarah Day LeVesque
Content Manager / Research Analyst
Sarah Day LeVesque, based in the firm’s Southwest Harbor, Maine office, is a Research Analyst for Soyatech, LLC and HighQuest Partners’ Global Food, Agribusiness and Biofuels Practice. Ms. Day LeVesque has extensive experience in agricultural research and writing. She has conducted research using GIS software to analyze the effects of pesticide use on orchard crops in the Central Valley of California and has developed surveys and led focus group interviews analyzing milk processing and merchandising in the informal dairy industry in Kenya. The latter resulted in her developing relevant policy objectives for informal milk safety and market development.
Ms. Day LeVesque received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in International Agricultural Development and a M.S degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis.
Contact Sarah Day LeVesque at sarah@soyatech.com.
Amber Jost
Production & Data Services Manager
Amber Jost is production manager and data services manager at Soyatech.
She oversees the organization and production of the annual print Soya & Oilseed Bluebook, as well as the regularly updated online edition. This includes developing the systems to ensure the data is rigorously updated, designing the database processes to efficiently produce the book and organizing the distribution of the controlled circulation print Bluebook; she is also the primary point of contact for Bluebook advertising materials.
Ms. Jost is also responsible for all IT systems and CRM applications at Soyatech.
Contact Amber Jost at amber@soyatech.com.
