Valent BioSciences Names Rick Melnick Strategic Marketing Manager

Date:09-15-2011

Valent BioSciences Corporation (VBC) announced that Rick Melnick has been named the company’s strategic marketing manager in support of its growing biorational product business. In his new role, Melnick will be collaborating with VBC’s global business leaders to develop efficient and effective strategies to meet the growing demand for VBC’s products worldwide.

Melnick will report directly to Bruce Kirkpatrick, vice president, global marketing and business management. According to Kirkpatrick, “this addition comes at a crucial time in the development of our future growth strategy. Rick’s extensive experience in the biopesticide arena puts us in a strong position to fully capitalize on our crop stress management and physiological seed enhancement initiatives.”

With 16 years of experience as an agricultural editor and business director in the area of crop protection reference products, Melnick joins VBC with a unique set of skills and biopesticide knowledge. Prior to joining VBC, Melnick was the Corporate Editorial Director at Meister Media Worldwide. He has also served the Biopesticide Industry Alliance (BPIA) as PR committee chair since 2006, and currently sits on the BPIA Board of Directors.

Melnick developed VBC’s Guide to Understanding and Evaluating Biorational Products as well as its integrated media educational platform ‘A BioRational Approach.’ Most recently, he produced a 24-page special report “The RISE of BIOPESTICIDES,” a series of articles that examines the value of biopesticide adoption across the food value chain.

"I am excited about the opportunity to join VBC,” Melnick said. “I have worked closely with VBC for years, and have come to know why VBC is the most trusted name in biorationals. I’m pleased to be a part of shaping its future.”

Melnick will be headquartered in the VBC offices in Libertyville, IL.

VBC is the worldwide leader in development, commercialization and manufacturing of biorational products, which include bioinsecticides, bionematicides and plant growth regulators. VBC has a diverse market presence, selling into agriculture, horticulture, public health and forestry markets in more than 90 countries.

VBC is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited. Sumitomo is the only company in the world with a strategic focus in both traditional and biorational agricultural products.