Whitman began his career managing icons like Kool-Aid and Tang. After years of delivering results on big brands, he jumped at the opportunity to run small, autonomous businesses within Kraft in a shirtsleeves environment. With unusually broad operating experience that included dedicated plants and/or sales forces but only a fraction of usual resources per dollar of revenue, he quickly proved his strengths as a collaborative, hands-on business builder. Taking charge of brands as small as $10 million that Kraft had been unable to grow or run profitably, Whitman’s entrepreneurial leadership produced outstanding results. For example, he grew a ready-to-drink beverage brand from a money-loser that the corporation wanted to divest into the foundation of today’s highly profitable $1 billion business.

Whitman’s track record as an operator is equally enviable whether managing businesses small or large. Brands under his direction have grown exponentially on volume, revenue, and/or earnings fronts: Country Time and Tang powdered soft drinks, Taco Bell Home Originals Mexican foods, Mr. Freeze freezer bars, Philadelphia snack bars and DiGiorno pastas and sauces. Whitman’s ability to grow businesses comes from his proven general management experience built upon a diverse breadth of prior functional assignments, including marketing, sales, operations planning and corporate development.

Whitman serves as a member of the board of directors of gDiapers and sits on the advisory board of Reserve Brands LLC (Eagle snacks) and The Nibble. He currently or previously assisted pro bono by serving as a board member for the Jewish United Federation Foods & Hospitality Trade Sector, Marketing Executives Network Group (MENG), Venture Board of the Women’s Self-Employment Project and White Plains Child Day Care Association, a Head Start agency.

Whitman received a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is an outdoor adventure traveler, an aggressive skier, an avid college basketball fan, a Culinary Institute of America-trained cooking enthusiast, and a devoted Parrothead – as a result of traveling early in his career with singer Jimmy Buffett while leading the national introduction meetings for Corona Light, now the #1 imported light beer.

Gary Sebek is a well rounded consumer products operator having served as CFO and CEO in several industry leading, high growth companies. His experience integrates a background in executive business administration, strategic development, operations and corporate finance including P&L/balance sheet management, annual/strategic planning process leadership, capital structure strategies implementation, large scale information systems deployment and supply chain transformation. Sebek’s mergers and acquisitions experience includes having bought, sold, recapitalized and financed several consumer products companies.

With 17 years experience in corporate finance and over 9 years specific to consumer goods in the natural and organic industry, Sebek joined Aurora Organic Dairy as CFO in 2005 to direct all corporate finance, assist in the development of strategic planning and manage corporate banking and financing relationships. Since joining Aurora Organic Dairy, he has co-led the evolution of private label organic milk with four fold (4x) revenue growth while leading all corporate banking and equity funding initiatives, which totaled more than $80 million. Sebek was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2006 while continuing in the CFO role.

Previously, Sebek served as President and CEO of Rudi’s Organic Bakery, leading the twenty-six fold growth (26x) from $2 million to $52 million including the merger and integration of 3 smaller organic bread brands to form Charter Baking where he was President and COO. During this time, he led the formation of a national warehouse and DSD distribution system, automation and expansion/relocation of bakery and corporate offices and overtaking established competitors to become the leading market share natural/organic brand. This achieved a significant exit for Company shareholders. Sebek was formerly the CFO at Rudi’s Organic Bakery and began his career in public accounting with KPMG.

Sebek holds a B.A. in Accounting from DePaul University (Chicago, IL) and his CPA certification under the University of Illinois. He received his M.B.A. specializing in Business Development and Operations from the University of Colorado.

Dave Bauserman is recognized throughout the industry for his breadth of operations knowledge and ability to effectively negotiate solutions that benefit all stakeholders. The majority of his 35-year career has focused on operations and manufacturing at General Foods and Kraft Foods. His industry experience includes processing, packaging and distribution of liquid and dry, refrigerated, frozen and ready-to-eat, boxed, pouched, bottled and canned products produced under regulations including USDA and FDA. He has held positions ranging from frontline plant operations to executive leadership.

Since leaving Kraft in 2002, Bauserman has been an active part of the 2x Management team, where he assists in operations due diligence for prospective investments and serves as an ongoing resource to businesses including Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard all-natural pet foods and Eagle snacks. He assisted management to identify co-packers allowing for closure of a high cost, capacity-constrained Old Mother Hubbard plant, resulting in substantial expansion in gross margins.

Previously, Bauserman led Kraft’s external (3rd party) manufacturing organization that managed a complex producer network of over 100 companies and 150 plant locations across the USA and Canada. He developed and executed outsourcing strategies that facilitated expeditious new product introductions, improved asset utilization, minimized capital investments and maximized continual cost savings while ensuring product safety and brand equity protection.

In addition to his role leading external manufacturing, Bauserman held other senior positions in corporate operations and division manufacturing leadership. Among his many accomplishments, his zeal for groundbreaking technology and people driven initiatives resulted in the design, construction and start-up of the only two plants built by Kraft in the last 20 years, as well as the operational execution of numerous leading edge business and marketing strategies.

Bauserman holds a B.S. degree in Business and Industrial Management from San Jose State University.

Mike Levinthal is a seasoned venture capital professional with over 25 years of investing experience. He brings deep experience in deal structuring, portfolio company oversight and fund management to 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners.

Levinthal spent 20 years as a General Partner with the Mayfield Fund where they raised and managed 6 funds totaling $1.4 billion during that time. He sponsored such successes as Citrix, Concur Technologies, Heartstream, Pure Software and WebMethods. Levinthal also founded Mayfield Software Partners, a side fund consisting of 20 leading software entrepreneurs as investors, having started his career in venture capital at New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Levinthal also founded ONSET Partners, a venture firm specializing in incubating new companies.

In addition, Levinthal has been involved in consumer investing, including Pete’s Wicked Ale and High West Distillery (both beverage companies), Blue Marlin (memorabilia), Skull Candy (consumer electronics) and Il Fornaio (restaurants). He currently works as an independent venture capitalist helping to advise start-up and growth oriented companies.

Levinthal currently sits on the board of several private companies including Cirrus Data Management, High West Distillery, Infopia and 3point5. He was on the board of Altiris (NASDAQ: ATRS) until its recent acquisition by Symantec for $1 billion. Additionally, Levinthal sits on the boards of two not-for-profits: Interplast (www.interplast.org) and Forever Young Foundation (www.foreveryoung.org). He has served as an advisory board member to the Stanford Technology Venture Program and established the Mayfield Fellows program at Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley.

Levinthal holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and received both his M.S. and B.S. degrees in Engineering from Stanford University.

Industry veterans are committed to helping our growth oriented consumer products companies succeed and are excited to participate in whatever way makes sense.

Kay Allison – Founder & CEO, The Energy Infuser: Marketing innovator and consultant with outstanding consumer understandings and ways to capitalize on emerging trends. Extensive experience with J. Walter Thompson among other advertising agencies.
 
Mark Baum – Partner & Managing Director, CPG Practice, Diamond Management & Technology Consultants: Consumer sales and marketing expert with intimate retailer and manufacturer relationships, including as former COO, Grocery Manufacturers Association.
 
Bob Burke – Principal, Natural Products Consulting Institute: Sought-after author and consultant to small, high growth companies leveraging his 9 years of consulting and 11 year experience leading sales and marketing at Stonyfield Farm to become the world’s leading organic yogurt company.
 
Rachel Cullen – President, Ice Cream Division – Dean Foods and former COO, Orange Glo International: Seasoned Kraft and Unilever executive who led the exponential growth of the OxiClean, Kaboom and OrangeGlo cleaning products and sale to Church & Dwight for $325 million. Expertise includes deep knowledge of building businesses via direct response television (DRTV).
 
Steve Hill – President, Black Flag Brands: Career household products executive with Clorox, Scotts and Spectrum Brands turned entrepreneur, having purchased and re-invigorated the Black Flag brand of insect control products.
 
Tony Olson – Chairman & CEO, SPINS Inc.: Natural products industry veteran as leader of premier provider of industry reporting and consulting services and previously as a sales executive with Odwalla.
 
Barbara Pickens – President, Pickens & Company: Executive search consultant focused exclusively in the consumer products and retail industry.
 
Gil Pritchard – former President & CEO, Avalon Natural Products: Three-time growth-oriented leader with proven results growing Avalon and previously at nSpired Foods and Barbara’s Bakery.  One of the Partnership’s appointees to the Board of Directors of gDiapers
 
Raj (RK) Rajaratnam – Managing Director, The Galleon Group: Career consumer products market research and consumer insights executive with General Mills, Kraft and ConAgra.
 
Don Roland – Former Chairman/CEO, Vertis Communications: Savvy marketing services executive and member of the Printing Industry Hall of Fame. Led the $1.5 billion industry leader that offers world-class consulting, creative, research, direct, media, technology and production services.
 
Tom Simone – Chairman, United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI): Natural products and healthcare industry veteran since 1996 with UNFI, the country’s largest wholesale distributor to natural and organic industry, and prior CEO of McKesson Drug Company, a large pharmaceutical wholesaler.
 
Greg Stahl – Managing Partner, BA Partners: Serial entrepreneur, investor and former CEO, Boca Burger (sold to Kraft in 2000) and Brooklyn Bagel Boys (purchased in 1993 by Maple Leaf Foods).