Dean has spent over 27 years in the tree nut industry. He brings in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the almond industry including almond plant processing operations and expansion.

For 15+ years he served on various Almond Board of California Committees including Food Safety, Finance, Global Marketing and Development, Dean was Chairman of Food Quality/Safety Committee and led industry during initial Salmonella outbreak and corresponding industry resolution of the issue. In addition, Dean Served as a member of the Almond Board 2002-2006 and as Chairman of the Board of Almond Board of California in 2006.

Dean stepped down as Chairman of the Almond Board of California to create a new almond processing company called Sierra Valley Almond in Madera, California where he was the owner/partner and general Manager.  The company became a leading almond hulling/shelling/processing/marketing organization.

At Sierra Valley Almond Dean was responsible for processing plant design, safety, operational manuals, inventory control, quality control, and implementation of most current electronic sorting technology. In addition, he was responsible for development and execution of annual marketing plans for seasonal product needs. As a result of Dean’s efforts The Sierra Valley Almond brand is now recognized as a top tier brand. The company grew to 44 million pounds in volume.

Earlier in his almond related career Dean was general manager of the Harris Woolf Almonds, Coalinga California where he was responsible for all aspects of managing and leading an integrated almond huller/sheller, processing and marketing operation, developing and implementing annual marketing plans. Dean led operational growth from 12 million pounds to 45 million pounds. He has managed two plant processing expansions, implementation of computer system, employee manuals, operating procedures, safety programs, and inventory controls as well as integrated electronic sorting equipment to attain peak efficiency of operations.

Most recently Dean has been active evaluating various tree nut projects around the world including in Portugal and Argentina. Specifically, his reviews include onsite evaluation of water, weather, land and input resources in the respective regions.