Over a Century of Experience
 Kirk Soule, Chief Executive Officer | Kirk serves as our Chief Executive Officer. Over Soule’s career, he has blended personal and professional experiences in the agricultural, fresh grocery, retail, and technology spaces. Most recently, Soule was the Head of Strategy and Operations for 3M’s Encore data and analytics software business. Soule earned an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. |
 Mark Erickson, Chief Operating Officer | Mark serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Blue Book Services and is responsible for managing day-to-day operations of the company across its different platforms and services. Mark joined Blue Book Services after graduating from Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, and has served in a variety of roles during his three decades with the company. He earned his MBA from North Park University, Chicago, IL. |
 Dan Wywrot, Chief Financial Officer | Dan serves as our Chief Financial Officer overseeing the financial health and performance of Blue Book. Dan was previously the Co-Founder and VP of Finance at the venture-backed talent marketplace Paro, as well as a Senior Associate at KPMG in Financial Due Diligence. Dan is a CPA and holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance from the University of Illinois. |
 Lacey Scotthennen, Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Success | Lacey Scotthennen serves as our Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Success. Lacey has decades of experience in every facet of the sales process including direct sales, sales operations, sales process simplification, sales automation, post sales implementation, financial management, and customer service. Lacey earned her BA in Financial Management from the University of Saint Thomas and her MBA in Finance and Strategic Management from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. |
 Doug Nelson, Vice President, Special Services | Doug serves as Vice President of our Trading Assistance Division which provides trading assistance, collection assistance, and dispute resolution to members. Doug was previously an investigator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and as an attorney specializing in commercial litigation. Doug graduated with honors from Loyola University of Chicago’s School of Law, and has more than 20 years experience serving the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. |
 Bill Zentner, Vice President, Rating Services | Bill serves as Vice President of our Rating Services Division, overseeing all aspects of Blue Book ratings and scores. The content team that is tasked with collecting and maintaining Blue Book’s comprehensive database of companies and industry professionals also falls under Bill’s responsibility. He earned a BA in Business Finance from Augustana College, Rock Island, IL and joined Blue Book Services in 2001. |
 Frank Sanchez, Vice President, Global Sales and Business Development | Frank serves as Vice President of Global Sales and Business Development, overseeing Blue Book’s Field Sales and Service team across North America and international business development. Frank also services the Northeast United States and Canada. Frank’s on-the-ground interactions provide valuable industry feedback that drives new product development. He studied business management at Baruch College, New York and has over three decades of experience in management, sales and marketing. He joined Blue Book Services in 2006. |
 Greg Johnson, Vice President of Media | Greg is Vice President of Media, overseeing Blue Book Services’ print and digital news operation. He has more than 25 years of experience covering the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. He has a journalism degree from the University of Kansas. He joined Blue Book Services in 2018. |
 John Abkes, Vice President of Retail Development | John serves as our Senior Vice President of New Products and is responsible for leading our efforts in developing and implementing solutions for our retail customers. John has 30+ years of experience in the produce and technology industries at DTN, iTradeNetwork, IRI, and Apeel Sciences. He graduated from the University of Iowa. |
