Cody Bender joined 1,4GROUP in May of 2019 as our warehouse worker. He spends his days packaging product, as well as shipping and receiving material. The Montana native has over 10 years experience in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Purchasing, Package Handling, and Customer Service. Cody is pleased to be utilizing his skill set and Bachelors Degree, which he obtained at Boise State University in 2008. In addition to his degree, he is proud of being a former wrestler for the Broncos.
In Cody’s spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife, three children, and chocolate lab. He likes all things outdoors, especially kayaking, camping, and hiking.
Sam started at 1,4GROUP in December of 2022 as a Research Assistant. He graduated from Massey University of New Zealand with a BSc majoring in Plant Science with special interests in genetics and mycology. Before coming to the USA, he worked as a welder in an engineering workshop part time, as well as for Massey University where he worked on a research project to improve testing methods for plant pathogens.
Sam has been in Idaho since December 2021 with his wife Karly. He is from New Zealand and enjoys the outdoors – fly fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, cycling, and mountain biking.
Jennifer is the Global Marketing Communications Manager. She started with 1,4GROUP in 2015, taking on a small role in the family business. After first being brought on to develop the new website, her job evolved into assisting the sales and marketing departments. Before joining 1,4GROUP she worked at the Saint Alphonsus Garrity clinic as a Customer Service Rep and as an administrative assistant for a financial planner. Throughout the years she has also coached high school volleyball and softball at her alma mater – Nampa Christian High School. Jennifer completed an Associates Degree at Stevens-Henagar in 2010.
Jennifer married her high school sweetheart Andrew Bills and together they have 2 kids – Josh and Lexi. In her free time she enjoys playing in the local volleyball and softball leagues. As a family they enjoy movies, video games, going shooting, and are taking up ATV riding.
Jennie joined 1,4GROUP in July of 2022 as an Executive Administrative Assistant. She has over 20 years of experience in administration, primarily in the Aerospace industry.
She is originally from California and in her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and taking advantage of the beautiful outdoors Idaho has to offer.
Billie Jo started at 1,4GROUP on July 5, 2022 as Inventory Procurement Specialist and Accounting. She has over 15 years of accounting and purchasing experience as well as a legal background, having worked as a paralegal at a law firm for 6 years. Previously she lived in North Dakota for 5 years, working for an electrical company as their Inventory Procurement Specialist.
Billie Jo worked a lot in potatoes growing up in Ashton, Idaho. She inspected potatoes and also rogued them. She is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree at BSU for Business and Finance.
An Idaho native, she likes to spend time with her family camping, fishing, and hiking. They also enjoy doing puzzles and playing card games.
Larissa Dawson joined 1,4GROUP in September of 2022 as our U.S. Technical Advisor. She will support the Research, Development, Innovation team and customers though creative solutions to store crops more economically and sustainably. She started working in potatoes in 2008 and spent the first several years gaining knowledge of fresh potato growing, packing, shipping, and marketing. From there, Larissa moved into variety development across the United States and worked in production and operations from mini-tubers to table. Over the past few years, she has been able to focus on product management and agronomic support for potatoes in North America.
Larissa has a BS in Microbiology with a Chemistry minor from the University of Idaho.
Larissa is married and has two daughters. In her spare time, she likes to run trail ultramarathons and bake treats. She and her family enjoy exploring the wilderness together in their free time.
Steve transitioned to the role of CEO in July of 2021 after joining 1,4GROUP in May of 2020 as Operations Manager. He was raised on a row crop farm in central Minnesota and attended South Dakota State University, majoring in Agronomy while on a football scholarship. Steve joined Green Giant out of college as a Field Rep handling Peas and Sweet Corn in Ripon, Wisconsin. A short 3 years later, he moved into Green Giant Fresh, which was the beginning of his career in potatoes. When Potandon Produce purchased the Green Giant label from Green Giant Fresh in 1995, Steve continued on with them and spent 25 years traveling but mostly residing in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He filled many roles there including Packaging Management, Food Safety, Grower/Owner Relations, Procurement in both the onion and potato business, as well as Sr. Management. That is just to name a few. Steve thrives on designing and launching business solutions to improve efficiencies, engaging teams, empower people and increasing revenues. He continues to excel in building strong relationships with strategic partners as well.
Steve is currently serving on the Potatoes USA promotion board. There he is serving on the Executive Committee and Co-chair on the Domestic Marketing Committee.
He is married to a wonderful lady, Amie Kenyen of 20 years and has two daughters: Ryan, 17 and Madison, 14. Together they love hiking, biking, beaches. Steve likes to hunt, fish and any other outdoor activities when he can.
Carla joined 1,4GROUP in October of 2018 as our Receptionist and Accounts Payable. She brings a broad range of experience to the accounting department with over 15 years in accounts payable. She graduated in 2003 from Northwest Nazarene University with a BS in Business Administration.
In her spare time, Carla enjoys supporting her daughter’s interests in fastpitch softball, camping, mountain biking, and gardening. Carla and her daughter also enjoy volunteering with Special Olympics Idaho and Upwards Sports Basketball leagues in Boise.
Pam joined 1,4GROUP in October of 2021 and is the Human Resources Director.
Pam is a professional with 25+ years of human resource management experience and worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Republic Services, Alcoa, Northrop Grumman, Marconi Dynamics, and Boeing Corporation. Over the course of her career, Pam has supported over 1,700 employees throughout the US.
She brings vast experience in performance management, staffing, federal and state law compliance, employment contract negotiations, employee relations, employee benefits, compensation, recruiting, training and development, and management coaching.
Pam holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Management from Woodbury University in Burbank, CA. She also has a certificate in Human Resources from the Learning Tree in Woodland Hills, CA.
Pam has been married for 24 years to her husband Jim. They have two daughters, Alexandria who attends Boise State and is studying Psychology. Amanda is married and has blessed us with two beautiful grandchildren. Sebastian and Camila Valentina that keeps us all on our toes.
As a family, they love Sunday dinners when Jim cooks his authentic Italian meals passed on from his grandmother and when time permits, many outdoor activities. Currently, Pam is training to do her second 5k run and then a 10k with her friends from the gym.
John began working in 1965 with his father, Darol Forsythe, the founder and previous owner of Industrial Ventilation, Inc. John’s job responsibilities began with sweeping floors and receiving freight. He progressed to servicing ventilation and refrigeration equipment. Later he moved into sales and finally became President. John and his father later sold their interests in IVI and began pursuing another passion – sprout control for potatoes.
John was involved in the design and manufacture of many of the early thermal fogging machines used today for both CIPC and 1,4SIGHT®. In the mid-1990’s, he spearheaded the first registration of 1,4SIGHT® (1,4-DMN), working with the US EPA BPPD. He became one of the pioneers of 1,4SIGHT® commercial application as the product was brought to market. He later added Canadian, New Zealand and European registrations. Today 1,4SIGHT® is the clear product of choice in Europe for potato sprout control.
John is a potato storage expert with a firm understanding of ventilation and refrigeration as well as storage treatments. He has visited storages in Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and throughout North and Central America. Nothing surprises him, as there are so many ways to store potatoes. Solving a storage problem and finding ways to improve the existing systems with appropriate technology gives him great pleasure.
John’s other passion is flying. In his younger days he spent five years with Mission Aviation Fellowship as a pilot/mechanic. He flew Cessna 185’s, both on wheels and floats, in the remote jungles of Irian Jaya (now Papua), Indonesia. He has an AA in Aerospace Technologies from Portland Community College with an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic’s Certification. He also has Multi-engine Airline Transport Pilot and Instrument Flight ratings.
John’s overarching passion today is helping to feed the world by providing Safe, Affordable and Abundant food. He works to accomplish these goals by reducing post-harvest waste through the application of science and technologies.
Alexis joined Skyfall Biologicals the Louisiana affiliate of 1,4GROUP, as Supply Chain and Quality Systems Leader in August of 2022. She is responsible for the logistics, inventory, vendor contracts, purchasing and quality for Skyfall Biologicals Operations and their finished products.
Alexis holds a B.S degree in Sustainable Supply Chain Management from Louisiana Tech University and a Minor in Communications. Prior to joining Skyfall, Alexis worked at Georgia-Pacific as an Area Buyer for 5 Lumber plants in or near the Carolinas.
Alexis enjoys working in her garden and hiking with her husband and dog on the weekends. She recently moved back “home” to Louisiana and has enjoyed being closer to family and spending time with her friends.
John started with 1,4GROUP in September of 2022 and is the Global Sales & Marketing Director. He brings with him a wealth of experience, having previously been the North American Director of Sales for Biobest. Before that, he was Specialty Materials Business Manager for Mineral’s Technologies and Global Business Manager – Microbials for Valent BioSciences.
John attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a Bachelors degree in Chemistry.
John and his wife Jo Lynn have 4 children who they enjoy spending time with. In his free time, John enjoys fishing and walking his mini schnauzer, Jellybean.
Eric joined 1,4GROUP in December of 2018 where he took over the role of Logistics Coordinator. He brings a wealth of knowledge from the logistics and transportation industry. For the last 5 years he has been working in the LTL (less-than-truckload) industry as an Operations Supervisor. He also brings experience in operational and warehouse management. Eric served 6 years in the United States Air Force. In 2011 he finished his Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management from Boise State University.
Eric grew up on the family farm and ranch in north eastern Oregon. He is an avid golfer and loves the great outdoors. In 2017 he was married to his wife Amy and her two children, Riley and Jaden. They enjoy playing games, watching movies, and grilling good food with family and friends.
Dylan started at 1,4GROUP on July 27 as the Quality Assurance Manager. He will assist in regulatory, as well as working on implementing quality systems for measuring output of all the company departments, ensuring continuous growth, and eventually achieving an ISO 9001 certification that encompasses 1,4GROUP, Dataplex, DormFresh, and other sister locations in the future such as Skyfall. Previously, he worked in quality management at a protein production facility, and then as an operational manager. Dylan has a lot of experience in overseeing quality management systems and working with regulatory bodies such as the FDA.
Dylan graduated from University of Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Biological Engineering, and a minor degree in Spanish. He spent a lot of time working on research projects in neurological regeneration in Zebrafish, as well as getting his EMT certification and working with the EMS crew.
Born and raised in Boise, Dylan spends all his free time camping, fishing, and hunting with his new wife and their dogs. He loves travelling and exploring, but always enjoy getting back home to the mountains of the northwest.
Bill started in the sprout inhibitor application industry quite by accident. After college, he worked for a tree care company and sprout inhibitor applications was their fall area of business. That was before the VFD was introduced into the application process in Canada. He continued on in the industry for 14 years, quickly moving to doing applications, then technical training for applicators, then to managing the entire application process, and finally to owning his own sprout inhibitor application company. His application experience has allowed him to do applications in all 3 of the Prairie Provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba). Bill enjoys all the dynamics and challenges of the sprout inhibiting industry.
Jose joined 1,4GROUP Mexico in 2013 as a Technical Representative in Northwest Mexico. Before that, he worked with one of Mexico’s biggest potato grower for almost 10 years.
Jose was born and raised in Los Mochis, Mexico’s biggest potato producing area. He went to Technologico de Monterrey where he earned his degree in Agricultural Administration in 1984. In 1986 he earned a degree in Potato Seed Production at Mexico National Ag Research Center in Toluca.
Jose has been in the Mexican potato industry for over 30 years and this has helped him increase his sales each year. He believes that the grower’s confidence in the company’s products and services is the key to a successful business.
Jason joined 1,4GROUP at the end of 2022, as an addition to the Engineering Team to aid in design, innovation, and manufacturing of 1,4GROUP’s chemical applicator products.
Originally from Anchorage Alaska, Jason moved to Boise, Idaho in 1999 after completing his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Northern Arizona University. Jason’s prior work experience includes over 22 years within the Semiconductor Industry at Micron Technology. He held roles as a Product Engineer and Competitor Analysis Engineer with focus on DRAM memory technologies.
Jason mostly enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and hound dog. He likes activities such as tinkering with classic cars, playing ice-hockey, watersports, riding ATV’s and camping.
Paulo started working at 1,4GROUP in 2009 as the Operations Manager for Dataplex in El Salvador. In 2012, he moved to Mexico to run 1,4GROUP Agricola de Mexico and has been working to position the company as part of the supply chain in the potato industry. As an Industrial Engineer, Paulo enjoys developing new processes and new ways to make things work.
Paulo has been married to his wife Natalia for 16 years and enjoys spending time with his 2 daughters, Abril and Paula Maria. He also enjoys listening to music, reading, playing squash, and likes to stay informed about new gadgets and technology.
Chad accepted the position of North America Sales Manager in November of 2021 and has been with 1,4GROUP since August 30, 2019. He started out as the Western U.S. Technical Sales Rep. Before that, he was employed by Potandon Produce LLC for about 12.5 years. During that time he was involved in their sales team and then as a Variety Operations Manager for the last 7 years. Chad oversaw joint ventures and dedicated partners in WA, AZ, TX, ND, MN, VA and FL and has had the opportunity to work with co-packers all over the county. Before his time in potatoes, he was in corporate finance and mortgage lending with ICCU, AIG and HSBC.
Chad has a degree in Accounting from Montana State University with a minor in Economics. He has two beautiful girls, ages 13 & 10. He says it seems like life keeps them pretty busy but he does love his football, especially his Chicago Bears. They love going to the movies as a family and traveling when they can.
Jane joined Skyfall Biologicals, the Louisiana affiliate of 1,4GROUP, as the Financial Controller in February of 2023.
With 30 years of experience, Jane brings a broad range of experience in construction accounting, financial reporting, cash flow management, corporate tax, accounting software implementation, human resources, and benefits plan administration.
Jane holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University along with a Minor in Management.
When she is not in the office, Jane enjoys spending weekends at her camp, boat riding, fishing, and biking. She also enjoys attending LSU sporting events and spending time outdoors with family and friends.
Blake joined the 1,4GROUP family as a pilot in August of 2021. A pilot for over 28 years, his love of flying began on his 8th birthday, when a family friend took him for his first airplane ride. From that moment on, flying was what he wanted to do. Prior to 1,4GROUP, Blake spent the previous eight years working for a local Charter Company, transitioning from line pilot to Chief Pilot to Director of Operations.
Blake also is a Gold Seal flight instructor (CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI) where he can share his love of flying with others. In 2014 he was honored with the ‘AOPA Outstanding Flight Instructor’ award presented to the top ten instructors in the nation. He has also written two books. The first, a young adult novel titled ‘The Magic Helmet’ and the second a Sci-Fi book ‘Dargon Rising’.
Blake has been married to his wife Sarah since 2005. They have a daughter together, Savannah who is 12. Blake also has two older children, Sarah, 26 and Brandon, 24.
Andy started working at 1,4GROUP as a Regulatory Specialist in August of 2021.
He began his career as an analytical chemist working in a toxicology lab. Andy has 6 years of experience working with various instrumentation including GC-MS, HPLC, FTIR, SEM/EDX, ICP, IC, and microscopic analysis. He transitioned into Regulatory Affairs in 2018, working with both the EPA and FDA.
Andy graduated from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry.
He was born and raised in Tennessee and enjoys being out in nature. History and biographies are his favorite genres to read. Andy has a growing family and loves spending time and volunteering at church.
Although Jeanette is not a native of Idaho, she has lived here for most of her adult life. After graduating from the University of Illinois, she moved first to northern Idaho and then to Boise.
Over 13 years ago, she started working at 1,4GROUP, Inc. with regulatory becoming her main responsibilities over nine years ago. Jeanette is a member of BPIA as well as being on their Regulatory Committee and State Issue Committee.
When she is not in the office, Jeanette can be found backpacking or hiking in the Idaho mountains, desert, or along the Greenbelt in town.
Brian is the Controller of 1,4GROUP, Inc. and oversees the company’s global finance and tax structure, banking relations, manages the company’s international and domestic cash, as well as foreign exchange, GAAP reporting requirements, information systems, and human resources. Brian joined 1,4GROUP, Inc. in October 2004.
With over 22 years of experience in accounting, Brian brings a broad range of experience in financial reporting, retail accounting, construction accounting, real estate accounting, accounting software implementation, cash management, inventory flow, corporate and individual tax, and benefit plan administration.
Brian has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Boise State University, a Master’s of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Phoenix, and he is currently working towards his CPA.