Our Staff




	Natural Plant Products and OMG represent a novel business model that is coming of age in the early part of the 20^th century. Producer and stakeholder managed from its agricultural fields to its finished product sales, the organization is a truly vertically integrated agricultural enterprise. In the world of ag, meadowfoam is a young crop at just 20 years of commercial production. Its success so far has been due to the tireless dedication of development personnel and grower-owners, as well as innovation in all business operations. Our staff, affiliates, and Board of Directors are eager to continue this tradition and look forward to working with you.
	Our Staff
	Jerry Hatteberg – CEO, Natural Plant Products, Inc. & Executive Director, OMG Meadowfoam Oil Seed Growers Cooperative Our fearless leader, Jerry wears two hats, simultaneously serving as the CEO of Natural Plant Products and the Executive Director of OMG. In this capacity he oversees all company operations beginning with seed production, all the way to finished product research & development. Jerry works closely with outside contacts at Oregon State University, the USDA, and the Oregon State Department of Agriculture. Jerry joined the organization in 1998 after a 30+ year career in the food industry with Del Monte Foods. Jerry is a proud alumnus of Oregon State University with a degree in Food Science (Go Beavs!) and grew up in Silverton, Oregon just east of Salem
	Mike Martinez – VP, Commercial/Technical, Natural Plant Products, Inc. Mike jumped onto the meadowfoam ship shortly after completing his B.S. in Chemistry at Willamette University in Salem, OR. As the only member of the staff without a degree from Oregon State University, Mike has rapidly become a Beaver believer and has found that his Bearcat roots are thereby tolerated by his workmates. Mike is the primary contact for all distributors, customers, and commercial contacts and is responsible for company promotional activities. In addition, Mike oversees all manufacturing operations in collaboration with NPP’s processing partners and liaises with researchers in both industry and academia. A transplant from Seal Beach, a small town in Southern California, Mike has grown accustomed to the “slight” difference in precipitation in Western Oregon over the past seven years.

	Kari Hatteberg – Administrative Assistant (Authority!) Kari has the unfortunate job of keeping these gents in-line and on-time. Kari joined the crew in 1998 and handles all office admin activities as well as assisting with customer service. The third Beaver in the office, Kari earned her degree from Oregon State University in Business Administration.
	Corporate Officers
	Wayne Kizer – President, OMG Meadowfoam Oil Seed Growers Wayne is a fourth generation family farmer based out of Harrisburg, Oregon where he owns and operates Kizer & Son, Inc. Wayne’s family has been involved in meadowfoam since it was first evaluated as a crop in the Willamette Valley. Serving on the Board of Directors since the 1990s, Wayne has been an enthusiastic supporter of meadowfoam over two decades.
	Tom Hunton – Vice President, OMG Meadowfoam Oil Seed Growers Tom farms in the South Willamette Valley, and also owns and operates Surecrop Farm Services, a full service equipment and agricultural product vendor in Junction City, Oregon. Tom’s involvement in meadowfoam started in the early 1980s when the family farm became involved in experimental crop production. In fact, some of the first meadowfoam oil produced was done so on a small Hander expeller set up in the Hunton’s shop. Let’s just say the floor was well “polished” at the conclusion of the experiment.
	John Duerst – President, Natural Plant Products, Inc. John is another long-time supporter of meadowfoam, and served as president of OMG for a number of years. John’s family is part of Ioka Farms, in Silverton, OR. Meadowfoam is grown along with grass seed, nursery stock, Christmas trees and small grains. John was recently honored as the Oregon Seedsman of the Year.

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