| 30+ Years Professional Experience | Education |
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Van Carlson has more than 30 years of business experience. He has worked for two large multi-national manufacturer firms in the food industry, and has also owned and operated several small businesses.
Prior to starting his recruiting business, Mr. Carlson was Vice President of Midwest Accounts for DRAGOCO, Inc., a multi-national flavor and fragrance manufacturer. At DRAGOCO, he developed a sales territory from zero to $14 million in domestic sales and was a valuable partner and preferred supplier with seven of the top 25 food firms in the U.S. This required a close working relationship with product development, process engineers, packaging development and the supply chain organization which included production, operations, customer service, purchasing and marketing. The success of his personal relationships is based on honesty, integrity and a high level of customer service.
During his tenure at DRAGOCO, Mr. Carlson coordinated the internal resources to service these multi-national food manufacturers in the Latin American, Asia Pacific, Indian and European markets.
Prior to sales account management and development, Mr. Carlson was a new product and process developer for both Pillsbury and Archer Daniels Midland. Leading and tracking projects from concept through distribution has give Mr. Carlson invaluable insight into the staffing needs of many different corporate cultures in the food industry.