We measure success by the satisfaction of our clients. That’s why our tight-knit group of food industry professionals brings their extensive knowledge, creativity, and entrepreneurial experience to every project as if it were their own.
© 2024 Helmsman Group | All Rights Reserved
© 2024 Helmsman Group | All Rights Reserved
Mark is a self-proclaimed foodie who’s been active in the food industry since his teens. His professional background includes leading entrepreneurial high-growth brands, executive management within multinational corporations and founding his own contract manufacturing business.
After 30+ years of helping natural and organic companies grow, Mark has a unique perspective that blends entrepreneurial passion and disciplined experience into power-play strategies that help brands achieve their full potential. At The Helmsman Group, Mark and his team apply this strategic consultative approach to help accelerate high-potential food and beverage brands via Innovation and new product development.
As an investor and advisor, Mark supports organizations that empower the global organic and natural foods industry. He’s committed to nurturing the next generation of food industry leaders through his work with Christie & Co’s Gang of Good, Silverwood Partners and the Education Research Institute, a non-profit affiliate of Food Northwest.
MJ has spent her 25-year career at the intersection of client engagement, product delivery, and technology. She’s a certified P.M.P who has launched and managed multiple SaaS products geared toward Fortune 500 companies, including Deloitte’s tax software service and Thomson Reuters/Learning’s training platform, a SCORM-compliant LMS she grew to over 1 million users across nine key regions. At WMS Gaming/Scientific Games, MJ gained extensive experience managing product deployments in the highly-regulated casino gaming industry and overseeing multiple PLM implementations. She’s previously worked in category management for Performance Foods/Vistar and is currently driving client engagement at Helmsman Group after successfully exiting her role as owner of Atlanta’s premier boutique chocolate manufacturer.
Janelle Myers is a seasoned food scientist with deep expertise in food chemistry, complemented by a passion for pastry. Her career includes developing a diverse range of products, from plant-based meats and snacks to bakery desserts. She has worked at all stages of product development and manufacturing, including roles such as Product Developer at Shiru, where she developed a range of plant-based products with proprietary novel ingredients, Sr. R&D Scientist at Simple Mills, focusing on allergen-free development, and Director of Product Innovation at Wiley Road Foods, improving and innovating for in-store bakery manufacturing. Additionally, as Assistant Director of Product Development at Chew, she co-led a team in developing and launching innovative snack products. Janelle holds a Master of Science from AgroParisTech, where she conducted research on gluten biochemistry and rheology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Integrated Science from Northwestern University, as well as a Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnel in pastry from Ferrandi Paris.
Brian Shimada is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable Food Scientist with nine years of experience in new product development. He specializes in delivering innovative, on-trend product formulations across a broad spectrum of food applications. At Snak King Inc., he collaborated on a variety of snack items, optimizing formulations from concept to commercialization. His previous roles include R&D Process Technologist at Juicero Inc. and Lead Food Technologist at Elite Spice Inc., where he honed his skills in developing seasoning formulations for diverse applications. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science with an emphasis in Sensory Science from the University of California, Davis.
Maren Long is a proactive and detail-oriented professional with extensive experience in driving complex new product development and innovation projects from concept to commercialization in the food industry. She excels in leading global cross-functional teams, effective stakeholder communication, and data-driven problem-solving. Maren has held key roles such as Innovation Project Leader at Dole Sunshine Company and Research and Development Scientist at Glanbia Nutritionals. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science with a Minor in Business Management from Brigham Young University.
Carly brings an educational and professional background in sales and food science. Carly currently acts as The Helmsman Group’s Business Development Representative, offering client and new project support. With hands on work experience in product development, quality assurance, and recruiting, Carly’s approach focuses on adding holistic value to clients and representatives across all food and manufacturing industries. Carly graduated with a Food Science and Packaging degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and currently resides in Los Angeles.
Ishan brings to Helmsman a decade of startup experience building software products. During his career, he has grown engineering teams, managed technical debt, developed architecture for scale, and improved the revenue process. He currently leads a group of Natural Language Processing researchers and engineers who are pioneering state-of-the-art research in the field of requirements engineering. Ishan regularly publishes in peer-reviewed publications like IEEE and ACM at international venues and has also held executive positions in multiple startups.
