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Steve is a cum laude graduate of Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor¹s Degree in Business Administration. His career began as a production foreman for General Motors Corporation. He was then employed by Andersen Consulting and steadily progressed from an entry-level staff position to Manager. His experience included software integration in the areas of defense, retail, process manufacturing, and discrete manufacturing. He then worked for Holnam Inc., the largest manufacturer and distributer of cement and related products in the United States. Mr. Nugent was the manager of Software Application, responsible for all software system maintenance and new software development. In 1995, he joined Graceland as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and through 2002 was directly responsible for oversight of in-house Marketing, Customer Service, Research and Development, and Logistics functions, as well as oversight of domestic and international field sales representatives. During this time, revenues grew from approximately $5 million in 1995 to over $30 million. An export program that went into effect in 1997 resulted in approximately 20 percent of revenues coming from Asia, Western Europe and Canada. In 2003, he was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer.Steve is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC), and the Northwest Michigan Workforce Development Board. He is very active in the community, volunteering approximately 200 hours annually in youth sporting activities, including serving as Vice President of a local registered 501 ©(3) youth sports boosters organization. | 