Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Hughes serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of Smart Balance Inc. He is recognized as a leader of innovation and for creating shareholder value in the consumer package goods food and beverage industry.

In 1988, Hughes led the team that launched ConAgra's Healthy Choice line, building the brand's revenue to $1 billion in four years. Subsequently, he led the turnaround of Tropicana's US business, which doubled the company's revenues from $1 billion to $2 billion in four years. Later, as president and chief executive officer of Celestial Seasonings, Inc., he increased revenue and market capitalization from $80 million to $387 million over a three-year period. He then joined the White Wave division of Dean Foods as executive vice president, building the company's revenues in the Silk brand from $175 million to $400 million in two years. Hughes founded Boulder Specialty Brands in 2005 and completed the acquisition of GFA Inc., makers of Smart Balance, in May of 2007.

Hughes graduated with bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Denison University and earned his master's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and finance from the University of Chicago.

Vice Chairman

With more than 25 years of experience as a senior financial executive in the consumer packaged goods industry, Gluck serves as Smart Balance’s vice chairman. Gluck spent an impressive 21 years with Bestfoods/CPC International, followed by four years with Unilever United States, Inc. While with Bestfoods/CPC International he served as a member of the corporate board finance committee, overseeing the investment of annual funds flow. He was responsible for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and peer group performance reviews. Gluck was a crucial member of the management team that was involved in the sale of Bestfoods to Unilever in 2000.

Gluck graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the New York Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. in finance from St. John’s University. He also holds membership with the Financial Executives Institute, the Association for Corporate Growth, the Food Marketing Institute and the National Restaurant Association.

Executive Vice President of Operations and Product Development

Peter Dray serves as the company’s executive vice president of operations and product development. Dray is a 19-year veteran of GFA Brands, has more than 30 years of food manufacturing, sales and marketing experience and 25 years as a senior operations executive. Dray has played a central role in building both the Weight Watchers® and Smart Balance® brands. He developed, perfected, and now manages the outsourced manufacturing model that is the cornerstone of the Smart Balance virtual business.

Dray is a graduate of New York University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in food & nutrition. He also received his AAS in food management from the State University of New York at Delhi.

Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer

Consumer goods and food industry veteran Terry Schulke serves as the company’s executive vice president and chief customer officer. Schulke joined Smart Balance from Schick-Wilkinson Sword, where he most recently served as vice president North America. During Schulke’s five- year tenure there, Schick-Wilkinson Sword outpaced competition in share and profit growth in the highly innovative and hotly contested blades and razor category and posted a 9 percent annual revenue and 22 percent operating income gains.

His extensive food industry experience was developed as senior vice president of U.S. Sales at Tropicana Products, a division of PEPSICO.

Schulke is a graduate of State University of New York, College at Buffalo, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in communications.

Executive Vice President and Chief Consumer Officer

Greg Venner serves as Smart Balance’s executive vice president and chief consumer officer. He is responsible for consumer marketing, advertising, public relations, promotion, and market research for all Smart Balance’s current brands and new products.

Venner’s extensive background in the food industry comes from his various management positions at Tropicana Products, Con Agra’s Healthy Choice®, Lance and Nestle. He joined Smart Balance from Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he most recently served as senior vice president and general manager, North America. During his six-year tenure there, he helped reverse the company’s decline through innovative initiatives in the infant formula category. Specifically, he was responsible for the growth of Enfamil’s revenue, profitability and market share from 34 to 44 percent. His efforts helped establish a category leadership position for Mead Johnson Nutritionals that they have held for the past four years that is an impressive 14 share points ahead of their competitors.

Venner graduated from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, P.A., where he earned a master’s of business administration. Venner is also a graduate of Rider College in Lawrenceville, N.J., where he received a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Vice President of Quality Control & Quality Assurance and New Product Commercialization

Chris Appel serves as Smart Balance’s vice president of quality control & quality assurance and new product commercialization. He is responsible for overseeing quality control and product assurance for all dairy-related products as well as actively assisting in the development and commercialization of all new dairy-related products.

Appel was most recently the vice president of quality assurance for WhiteWave Foods, the Branded Division of Dean Foods. He previously held executive positions in operations management, including vice president of operations for WhiteWave Foods, senior vice president of operations for Bruegger's Bagels and vice president of operations for Waterbury Holdings.

Appel holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from California State University at Fresno and a master’s degree in business from Pepperdine University.

Vice President Financial Planning and Analysis

Consumer goods industry veteran Al Gever serves as Smart Balance’s vice president of financial planning and analysis. He is responsible for monthly management reporting and analysis, the preparation of short and long-range financial plans and budgets, and providing day-to-day assistance to the CFO in all financial service areas, including investor and banking relations.

Gever is the former chief financial officer and general manager of the Nabisco Refrigerated Foods Group, which consisted of consumer branded margarine and egg substitute products. He has extensive leadership experience in achieving revenue, profit and business growth objectives within start-up, turnaround and Fortune 500 companies.

Gever received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Vice President of Foodservice, Industrial and International

Austin Jacobus serves as Smart Balance’s vice president of foodservice, industrial and international. At Smart Balance, Jacobus is responsible for leading the company’s strategic entry into the untapped foodservice, industrial and international markets.

Jacobus has extensive experience in both international and foodservice markets and is the former Vice President of International Chain Accounts for Unilever. He has worked extensively with large international restaurant companies such as McDonalds, KFC and Taco Bell.

Jacobus received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh.

Vice President, Controller & Principal Accounting Officer
(PAO)

Jack Konzelmann serves as Smart Balance’s vice president, controller & principal accounting officer (PAO). He is responsible for all external financial reporting and corporate accounting activities, as well as all regulatory compliance matters.

Konzelmann is a senior financial executive with broad-based knowledge of finance, accounting and administrative functions. Most recently, he served as vice president, controller and chief accounting officer at Alpharma Inc, a $.7 billion specialty pharmaceutical company with operating activities in more than 60 countries. During his tenure there, he led the financial and accounting teams in the sale of Alpharma’s global Generics Business to Actavis Group for $810 million in December 2005, as well as the sale of the related generics distribution business for $40 million in March 2006. Prior to that he was the assistant corporate controller for Bestfoods and Unilever US.

Konzelmann received his B.S. and M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. He is a certified public accountant.

Vice President and General Manager Mass-Club Channel

Food industry veteran, Jeff Scroggins, serves as Smart Balance’s vice president/general manager mass-club channel.

At Smart Balance, Scroggins is responsible for developing and formalizing long-term strategic plans for important growth channels and will oversee customer marketing and sales execution.

Scroggins most recently came from WhiteWave Foods, subsidiary of Dean Foods, where he held the positions of vice president and director of the customer team for Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club. During his tenure there, he experienced high double-digit sales and operating profit growth. His achievements included the national placement of Horizon Organic Milk at Wal-Mart.

Scroggins is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Vice President and General Manager of Earth Balance

Rick Werner serves as Smart Balance’s vice president and general manager of Earth Balance. He is responsible for driving the Earth Balance brand to become a leader in organic, heart-healthy food and beverages.

Werner has extensive experience in the Natural Foods industry. Most recently, he served as the director of dry grocery for Wild Oats Markets, Inc. Werner has also been category manager in frozen and dairy bringing extensive experience in product sourcing, development and marketing to Earth Balance.

Werner received his bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois and his master’s degree in Business Management from the University of California, San Diego

Director

William Hooper serves as a director for Smart Balance. Hooper has more than 30 years of experience collaborating within the consumer packaged goods industry. For ten years, Hooper served as an independent consultant in marketing communication investments and strategy with clients such as ConAgra Foods, Inc., Nabisco, Inc., Celestial Seasonings, Inc., Tropicana Products, Inc., and White Wave Foods Company. He has previously served as the president of W.B. Doner & Company, the largest independent advertising agency in the United States, as well as the chairman of Trahan, Burden, and Charles, Inc., an independent advertising and public relations firm in Baltimore.

Hooper graduated from Loyola College in Maryland with a bachelor’s. degree in business administration. He has served on the board of trustees for Loyola College in Maryland, the National Aquarium and the St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Baltimore. Hooper was also a member of the U.S. Army Reserve Military Police Corp for eight years.