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About Us

Our Company

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AFB International was founded in 1986 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA with a vision to create the best palatants and make pet food taste great. Over 35 years later, we remain committed to being the leader in pet food palatability. AFB is a subsidiary of Ensign-Bickford Industries, a privately-held company for over 185 years focused on space & defense, pet food science and biotechnology.

As part of an organization dedicated to innovation, we are able to continually offer new products and services and expand our global presence. Today we are an international company with resource centers and production facilities designed to service pet food manufacturers across the world.

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EBI Foundation

The EBI Foundation was created to give back and support the communities where we live and work. Established in 1952, it is financed by AFB’s parent company, Ensign Bickford, and its subsidiaries. Significant gifts are given in the areas of education, the environment, natural disaster response, medical institutions, scientific innovation, the arts and community improvement. Individual employees are encouraged to contribute their time and talent to community projects. In addition, the EBI Foundation matches employee contributions to educational and cultural organizations.

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Who We Are

AFB partners with pet food manufacturers to make food, treats and supplements for dogs and cats taste great, ensuring pets receive the vital nutrition they need. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, we bring value to pet food companies through research expertise, technical support, and unparalleled customer service.

How We Work

Clearly understanding our customers’ complex needs provides a firm foundation for success. To determine the best approach, we strive to understand the interaction of the palatant with other crucial factors our customers manage or execute including product formulation, ingredient quality and process capabilities. The more pieces of the puzzle we have, the better we can develop palatant solutions that meet a customer’s performance targets, attribute requirements and economic objectives.

Corporate Sustainability

AFB is passionate about improving the wellbeing of pets, people and our planet. Our sustainability mindset motivates us to responsibly and collaboratively make pet food taste great. This mindset is a critical component of how we do business.

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Our Core Values

Long-term strategic approach: Our long-term strategic approach creates stability for our customers, our people and our shareholders.

Respect for individuals: We respect each individual’s well-being, growth and sense of belonging.

Superior execution: Rigorous execution of our systems and processes enables superior performance.

Customer intimacy: Customer intimacy enables unique insights into our customers’ needs.

Kaizen mindset: Relentless drive for continuous improvement (our kaizen mindset) achieves transformational results.

High-performing teams: Our experienced, high-performing teams win.

Customer-driven innovation: Customer-driven innovation is our lifeblood.

Executive Team

Dale Spence
President

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Dale Spence
President

Dale was appointed President at AFB International in 2024 after being Interim President since 2023. Dale joined AFB International in 2017 as Vice President of Strategy & Marketing and expanded his scope in 2021 as General Manager of Asia Pacific. Dale has over 20 years of experience working in global companies, building high-performing teams, crafting strategy, and growing with customers. Before AFB, Dale spent 10 years at Danaher in roles of increasing global responsibilities across R&D, commercial, and strategy. Early in his career, Dale held engineering and product development positions at Federal-Mogul and Caterpillar. Dale has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Fred Sharp
Vice President, Finance and Accounting

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Fred Sharp
Vice President, Finance and Accounting

Fred Joined AFB in 2024 as Vice President of Finance and Accounting. Fred brings over 25 years of experience leading finance, information technology, trade compliance, and contracts for high-performing global companies in business-to-business industrial manufacturing. Before joining AFB, Fred served as Group Chief Financial Officer at Kohler Co. and Vice President, Finance & Chief Financial Officer for Crane’s ChemPharma & Energy Business Unit. Earlier in his career, Fred held positions of rising global responsibilities at Evonik Industries and Danfoss A/S. Fred is a Certified Public Accountant with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Alabama.

Morgan Clarkson
Vice President, Global Human Resources

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Morgan Clarkson
Vice President, Global Human Resources

Morgan started with AFB in 2017 as an HR Business Partner for the North America business. In 2018, she was promoted to Director of Human Resources. In this role, she led our global HR team to execute AFB’s talent strategies, which included talent development, talent acquisition, employee engagement, and leadership change management. Morgan was appointed Vice President, Global Human Resources in 2020. In this position, Morgan is a strategic business partner that drives HR strategy that aligns with the overall business priorities. Before joining AFB, Morgan held performance development, organizational effectiveness, and leadership continuity positions at Edward Jones, Caleres, and Behavioral Academic Assessments. She graduated from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, with a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri.

Stephanie Hackmann
Vice President, Global Operations

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Stephanie Hackmann
Vice President, Global Operations

Stephanie joined AFB in 2010 as Environmental Health and Safety Manager. She was promoted to Sr. EHS Manager and became Global Director of EHS in 2015. In 2017, Stephanie took a corporate role as Ensign-Bickford Operating Systems (EBOS) Leader, partnering with all EBI subsidiaries. She drove continuous improvement and led operational excellence through strategy, talent, and execution. In 2021, she became Vice President of Global Operations for AFB. Stephanie’s responsibilities include focusing on global operational strategies, processes, and procedures to ensure AFB standardization across the globe. Her work on AFB’s operational strategy enables the infrastructure development necessary to support global growth. Before AFB, she held similar positions at KV Pharmaceutical, Covidien, Tyco International, and Sitex Environmental. Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Michael Ceddia, Ph.D.
Vice President, Global Research and Development

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Michael Ceddia, Ph.D.
Vice President, Global Research and Development

Mike joined AFB in 2024 as Vice President of Global R&D. In this role, Mike is responsible for advancing AFB’s scientific leadership, strategic direction, and technology initiatives while leading the Global R&D, Regulatory, Quality, Project Management, and Technical Insights teams. Before AFB, Mike held various Executive Leadership roles within R&D in consumer products, pet food, nutrition, and pharmaceutical companies. Mike has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Shippensburg University, a Master’s degree in Biomechanics from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Illinois.

Leeann Bo
Vice President, Global Strategy and Marketing

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Leeann Bo
Vice President, Global Strategy and Marketing

Leeann joined Ensign-Bickford Industries in 2018 in Corporate Development and moved to AFB in 2019. Leeann has since held roles in Plant Operations and Global Product Management. In 2024, Leeann became Vice President of Global Strategy. She is responsible for long-term strategy development, product and portfolio management, and marketing. Prior to EBI, Leeann was in Investment Banking in New York City. Leeann has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Science in Finance & Accounting from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

John Vergeer
General Manager, Europe

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John Vergeer
General Manager, Europe

John has a long history with AFB, joining in 2005 as a Sales & Marketing Manager in the European region. He now serves as General Manager and is responsible for all AFB European operations. With a strong focus on people and customers, John’s priority is delivering a high-performance culture. Strong growth in the home and adjacent markets resulted in building a state-of-the-art new facility in the Netherlands in 2014. Before AFB, John was responsible for export and business development for Pokon & Chrysal International, specializing in flower food and fertilizers. John is a University of Applied Sciences graduate with a degree in Commercial Economics and Business Administration.

Bas Melssen
General Manager, Asia Pacific

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Bas Melssen
General Manager, Asia Pacific

Bas joined AFB as the Commercial Lead for Asia in 2020. As an individual contributor, he helped grow the AFB business in Asia and justified the business case to establish a regional facility and office in Thailand. Bas was promoted to General Manager Asia Pacific in 2024.​
Before AFB, he worked in various commercial and business development roles in global B2B and B2C organizations, management consulting, and a 4-year stint as an economic advisor in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office. Bas hails from the Netherlands and has worked and lived in Southeast Asia for 27 years.

Our Locations

  • North America
    North America

    Our Global Corporate Headquarters is located outside St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Production plants are located in Aurora, MO and O’Fallon, MO. We also have an office located in Mexico.

  • Asia/Pacific
    Asia/Pacific

    AFB offers palatants from our AFB China sales office in Shanghai and our AFB Australia sites through a joint venture.

  • Latin America
    Latin America

    AFB International has production facilities in Argentina and Brazil to service the Latin America markets.

  • Europe, Middle East and Africa
    Europe, Middle East and Africa

    AFB has two manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands serving customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.