Mike Woods

Mike started in the dairy business in 1974 at Midwest Farms in Texarkana, TX. His first job was in maintenance where he learned how every piece of equipment in the dairy worked. He learned the process of ordering ice cream, ancillary products like sour cream, cottage cheese, etc and raw milk. He learned as much as possible about quality control and the lab and became the liaison between the health department and the operation. Promotions followed and he held the position of Plant Manager when he left Midwest.

Mike started with Foremost Dairy in Dallas, TX in 1983 as a supervisor. He continued his "on-the-job" training and once again served as the liaison between the health department and the operation. He was challenged to get their newly acquired ice cream plant in Fort Worth up and running. Promotions followed and he ended up running the operation as Co-Plant Manager.

The next stop was with Borden Dairy in Madison Heights, Ml. He started his career with Borden as a Superintendent. He gained much of his extensive knowledge of machinery and equipment at this "mega-plant". He also learned the process of making cottage cheese, sour cream, and yogurt. Following a promotion to General Superintendent he took over responsibility for the vault. He also continued to serve as liaison between the health department and the operation. He negotiated a five- year labor agreement with the union the longest agreement ever achieved by Borden. 1990 saw Mike in St. Louis, MO as General Manager of a bottled water plant. He revamped the operation doubling the water filling capacity and the number blow molds. He also tripled the production of "belly wash" (Kool-Aid).

Mike returned "home" to Texas in 1993 as Plant Manager with Borden in Tyler, TX. That tenure was short-lived as Borden transferred him to their Dallas plant. Working with the City of Dallas, he received their annual "Blue Thumb Award" for BOD reductions seven different times. He also received his SOF certification. Mike continued to work with the health department and made a lifelong friend in Rabi Shaw as he worked to ensure kosher products from the farm to the store. Extensive growth in the operation occurred over his 18 years of service with the addition of a new vault and a new warehouse. The filling floor was re-designed and five new fillers were added. PET was also added for quarts, pints, and half-pints. The Red Diamond Tea brand flourished. One of the biggest changes was the upgraded digitalization of all controls and processes. New bagging and de-bagging equipment was installed in the blow mold operation and the case room evolved from floor-chain drive to pallets. During his years in Dallas, Mike served as president of the Dallas Fort Worth Dairy Society. He received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career including Dairyman of the Year in 2007.

Mike joined HEB in San Antonio, TX in 2011. He doesn't even remember his title, but his responsibilities included managing the fluid milk production, the bottled water operation, cultured products, UHT, and Greek yogurt. He was the first partner to receive the bottled and vending water operations certification from the Texas Dept of Health. Numerous upgrades and improvements were made to the facility during his tenure. HEB tasked Mike with training up and coming plant managers and he loved sharing his extensive knowledge with anxious, young partners. He thrived as a mentor and teacher and received the Harvey Mabry Excellence in Management Award.

In January of 2018, Mike received the biggest promotion of his career to become a full-time poppa, house husband, and honey doer! He often advises people to never retire because the honey do list never ends. The phone still rings with requests for advice, consultations, and questions. He enjoys catching up with these former colleagues, but continues to find satisfaction and fulfillment in his new career.

Murry Bain

Murray Bain was born and raised in Ontario Canada.

He attended Fanshawe College in London Ontario majoring in Music and Recording Engineering. After graduating he moved to the Niagara region of Ontario where he helped build the first Digital recording studio in North America. After working in the recording business for a few years he switched careers moving into a more stable manufacturing industry.

Murray has been working in the Dairy Packaging Industry with Stanpac for almost 40 years. He has served as Vice President of Marketing since 1990. He honed his marketing skills by attending the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University in London Ontario.

He is married to his wife Beverley, has 2 grown daughters, plus Bev's daughter.

He has served DPI of Texas as a Longhorn member and through various roles including President.

He has just finished his term as President of the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators, is currently Chair of the Board at a local Hospice and serves as Elder in the Presbyterian Church.