Our management team has extensive experience in the hog industry as well as financial, general business and accounting management.
Paul FitzSimmons, Partner, was employed by P.I.C. for a number of years upon graduation from the University of Minnesota, Waseca. With this company, he gained valuable experience in genetic technologies and strategies and continues to leverage this knowledge and experience today. He has over 25 years of Hog production experience and has been a member of many local, state, and national pork boards.
John FitzSimmons, Partner, has over 25 years of swine feed and nutrition management. He is currently the General Manager of our sister company Protein Sources Milling Division, LLC.
William FitzSimmons, Partner, is a partner and founder of Protein Sources and has over 30 years of farrowing and farm management experience.Bill is responsible for day-to-day management, training and some human relations projects.Bill was raised and still resides in Good Thunder with his wife Gretchen and family.In his spare time Bill enjoys ATV riding, fishing, hunting, and riding his Harley.He also enjoys coaching youth sports.
Richard FitzSimmons, Partner, has over 25 years of hog production on the finishing end of the industry. He has an expertise in building and equipment maintenance. He has substantial experience dealing with customers and helps with coordinating in pig flow and value.
Pat FitzSimmons, Partner, brings a wealth of hog production knowledge to the company. Pat is originally from Good Thunder, MN and he spent 12 years in home and barn construction. Pat moved to Cokato, MN where he managed a 2500 head finishing operation for 7 years. He then helped convert the site into a farrow to wean sow farm and managed that until 1998. Pat now resides in Dassel, MN but spends a majority of his time at the Mapleton office. He currently oversees facility maintenance and current or future construction projects. Pat is an active member in the Cokato Lions Club, serving 3 years as President. He has also spent 22 years as a member of the Wright County Pork Producers, 5 of which he served as President. Pat is finishing up his fifth year on the MPPA and also served as President for 1 year. Pat enjoys spending time at home with his wife and always finding time for his 3 grandchildren.
Bron Scherer, CPA, Partner, is a partner and founder of Protein Sources and serves as its Chief Financial Officer. Bron oversees the company’s financial accounting, reporting and analysis. Bron is originally from the rural Amboy, MN area and now resides in Northfield MN with his wife, Geniene (see also) and family. Bron is a 1979 graduate of Minnesota State University-Mankato and is a Certified Public Accountant who worked in public accounting for the international accounting firm, Arthur Andersen & Co to 1987 and consulting for a variety of businesses and individuals for another 12 years prior to the company’s inception. With Andersen out of both the Minneapolis and St. Paul offices, he advanced to accounting and audit manager specializing in the oil and gas, manufacturing, printing and publishing and agricultural production industries. He is an avid Minnesota State University-Mankato Men’s Basketball fan and supporter and is involved extensively in the business management of his church, St. John’s Lutheran in Northfield. In his spare time, Bron enjoys piano and voice performance, politics, reading and enjoying time with his family.
Dan Sohre, Partner,joined Protein Sources in 1997 and became a partner of the company in 2004. Dan oversees the financial accounting for Protein Sources’ managed clients along with providing financial reporting and analysis for those clients. In 2004 Dan helped develop a hog marketing tool and continues to help our clients with their hog marketing and feed purchasing. Dan is originally from rural Good Thunder, MN and grew up on a farrow-to-finish hog operation. He now resides in Mapleton, MN with his wife Teresa and family. Dan is a 1996 graduate of Minnesota State University-Mankato where he majored in accounting. Throughout college Dan worked on a farrow-to-finish hog operation giving him a “hands on” appreciation of the hog industry. After graduation Dan joined the public accounting firm of Wolf Etter and Co. in Mankato where he spent his time doing farm and corporate tax returns. Dan has been a member of the finance council at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Good Thunder, President of the Board of Directors at the Child Care Center of Mapleton Inc, member of the Heather Curling Club in Mapleton, and a member of the Economic Development Authority in Mapleton. In his spare time Dan enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, and fishing.
Shane Wilson is the head of Nursery Operations and a valued team member of Protein Sources Management. Shane has been with the company for 14 years and oversees all Protein Sources Nurseries, which are managed or owned. Shane grew up in rural Good Thunder, MN and now resides in rural Mankato MN with his wife Becky and his two sons Carter and Trevor. Shane grew up and worked on a rural farm, which is where he received his agricultural background. Shane was recently awarded the "Swine Manager of the Year Award" from the Minnesota Pork Producers. Shane is a graduate of Maple River High School in Mapleton, MN. After high school, Shane went on to receive a two-year degree in auto body repair at MTC in North Mankato. Shane began his career managing a 4,000 head nursery site for seven years prior to becoming Nursery Operations Manager for Protein Sources. He now oversees over 20,000 nursery pigs at various sites within Protein Sources. Shane is a supporter of his church and is involved in managing the well being of the personnel and buildings as the chairman of trustees. In his spare time Shane enjoys camping, fishing, pheasant hunting and riding four-wheeler. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Steve Kastning was hired in June of 2004 and helps oversee sow farm production. Steve grew up in the Truman, MN area and now lives in rural Amboy. After Truman High School, Steve went on to graduate from Southwestern Technical College in Total Quality Transformation. He has had a lifelong farm background along with being a gestation manager in a previous system for 5 years and a farrowing manager for 4 years. After managing a sow farm for Protein Sources, LLP, Steve is now at his current position of Sow Farm Production Operations. In his spare time he loves to hunt and shoot trap. Steve has one son, Josh, who loves those sports as well.
John Hollerich, CPA,has been a controller at Protein Sources LLP since July of 2006. John oversees the financial accounting, reporting and analysis for a number of the sow farms managed by the Company. John is originally from the rural Amboy, MN area where he helped his dad and the FitzSimmons’ on their farms throughout his school years. He now resides in Mapleton, MN. John is a 1996 graduate of Maple River High School, and a 2000 graduate of the University of St. Thomas. Prior to working for Protein Sources, John was a manager with the public accounting firm Wipfli, LLP. He specialized in individual and small business taxation, as well as financial institutions and manufacturing businesses. During his time at Wipfli, he also worked with a core group of employees and transitioned the entire firm to a paperless environment. John is a member and bookkeeper on the finance council of his church, St. Joseph Catholic Church of Good Thunder, and sits on the board of directors for the Maple River AAA Foundation, a non-profit organization that benefits the Maple River School District.
Geniene Scherer, CPA works with Protein Sources as a Management Consultant and has provided both management and financial accounting and analysis expertise for Protein Sources since 2003. Geniene grew up on a farm in the Kenyon area and graduated with a business & accounting degree in 1993 from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. She is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Information Systems Auditor and has her Masters in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas. Geniene has worked with the State of Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor, Securian Financial Group, Premier Business Partners, Inc., and has a cumulative 14 years of experience in auditing, management consulting, and accounting and financial analysis. In her free time, Geniene enjoys family activities, reading and travel.
Dr. Lori Feldmann, DVM joined Protein Sources Management Team as a Veterinarian in July 2009. She grew up on a farrow-to-finish hog operation in Northeast Iowa and now resides in Mankato, MN. Lori graduated from Ellsworth Community College with a degree in Biotechnology in 2004 and from Iowa State University with her DVM in 2009. She is currently a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. In her free time, Lori enjoys spending time with her husband, reading, baking, and sewing.
