Company announces four new roles and responsibilities
Four Vita Plus employee owners will take on new roles and responsibilities within the company. The strategic changes will position Vita Plus for continued growth and success as it provides feed, nutrition, and management expertise to dairy and livestock producers. In addition, Alan Gunderson will retire from his role as Vita Plus vice president of sales and marketing.
Dr Silvia Onetti will serve as vice president of technical services. She earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina. After graduation, she worked as a research assistant in dairy nutrition at the National Institute of Agricultural Research in Argentina. She continued her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Ph.D. in dairy science. Onetti has been a Vita Plus employee owner for 15 years. She has been a leader in farm technical support, formulation and ration balancing. More recently, she has taken on leadership in quality and regulatory. Onetti will continue to lead Vita Plus teams in formulation, ration balancing, quality and regulatory.
Randall Greenfield will serve as vice president of sales and business development. Greenfield earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science from UW-River Falls and went on to receive his master’s degree in animal science from Purdue University. He has been a Vita Plus employee owner for 22 years, working in nutrition consulting, technical support, business consulting, product management and sales management. Greenfield will now manage teams within these areas and will also be responsible for identifying new opportunities through which Vita Plus can continue to add value to the domestic livestock industries.
Andy Nytes will serve as vice president of sales and purchasing. Nytes earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in dairy science at UW-Madison. He has been an employee owner at Vita Plus for 23 years, working in calf program management, sales management, purchasing and other administrative roles. Nytes will co-lead sales efforts, lead purchasing and pricing strategies, and work on new business opportunities.
Dr Eric Schwab will serve as director of dairy nutrition and research. He earned bachelor’s degrees in dairy management and environmental and resource economics at the University of New Hampshire-Durham. He earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in dairy science at UW-Madison. Schwab has been a Vita Plus employee owner for 15 years, starting his career as a nutrition consultant in northwest Wisconsin. Seven years ago, he took on the company-wide responsibilities of coordinating the field dairy technical team and dairy product development. His new role will put more emphasis on dairy leadership and new product innovation.
“Vita Plus is focused on serving customers with innovative solutions and feed, nutrition, and management expertise in an ever-evolving marketplace,” said Robert Tramburg, president and chairman of the board. “We look forward to the continued leadership these individuals will provide for our employee-owned company.”
Vita Plus also announces Alan Gunderson’s retirement from his role as vice president of sales and marketing. Gunderson first came to Vita Plus as the swine product manager in 1979 upon completion of a master’s degree in agricultural business management from UW-Madison. He served as the general sales manager since 1987 and added purchasing to his responsibilities in 1999. Throughout his 41-year career at Vita Plus, Gunderson actively served the agriculture industry through numerous volunteer and board positions.
“We sincerely thank Al for his leadership and great contributions to our employee-owned company,” Tramburg said. “He has helped us build a strong foundation for the continued growth and success of Vita Plus.”
Vita Plus Corporation is an employee-owned company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, and has been serving livestock producers since 1948. More than just a feed supplier, Vita Plus consultants offer the latest cutting-edge feed, nutrition and management information. For more information about the organization, call 800.362.8334 or go online at www.vitaplus.com.
