Brewing Science

Joe Procopio is a lifelong technical entrepreneur with several key exits in his portfolio, including the acquisition of Automated Insights by Vista Equity Partners in 2015 and the acquisition of ExitEvent by Capitol Broadcasting Corporation in 2013. Prior to joining Precision Fermentation, he spent nearly three years as Chief Product Officer of Spiffy, a mobile, on-demand vehicle care and maintenance company. Joe has been advising, mentoring, and otherwise assisting startups for well over a decade, including writing a popular startup advice blog at joeprocopio.com.

As the Director of Administration, Dave’s responsibilities are at the hub of all things Precision Fermentation, including human resources, accounting and operations. Dave has over 10 years experience in relationship-centered, team-based, and communication-focused roles in corporate and non-profit environments, including several Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, he worked in talent management and organizational effectiveness in the finance and healthcare industries. Dave received his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, and his M.A. from the University of San Francisco. He enjoys a good sour- the sourer, the better.

Scott is a seasoned C-level executive with over 20 years of experience leading small businesses toward successful exits. In 1998 he gave up the Wall Street lifestyle to satisfy his entrepreneurial itch and has not looked back. When the opportunity arose for Scott to combine two of his life’s loves, software and beer, he jumped at the chance and joined the Precision Fermentation team. Scott earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from the University of Michigan where he graduated with high distinction. His personal brewing prowess resulted in a single third-place finish in a homebrew competition in Philladelphia in the mid-1990’s. When not dominating homebrew competitions, he enjoys spending his time with his wife and son.

Eric Wittle has over 30 years experience in product engineering and professional services for both startups and Fortune 500 companies. He has lead product development teams for e-commerce, operating systems, and management software in both enterprise data-centers and scientific applications. Previously, he served for 16 years at NetApp where he was a member of the senior leadership team. He led engineering for the strategic development of NetApp’s partnerships with Cisco and VMware. He also oversaw release-program management and ISO certification for “Data ONTAP,” currently the world’s most widely deployed storage operating system. Eric received a B.S. in Information and Decision Systems from Carnegie Mellon University. He is married, has two daughters and currently lives in Chapel Hill, NC. He enjoys walks on the beach and reading science fiction novels.

Bailey designs and develops critical components of Precision Fermentation’s technology solutions, including circuit boards, firmware, internal web-based management tools, and more. He has over five years of professional programming experience, working mostly in web and mobile application development. He previously worked for IBM as a mobile application consultant and for Raleigh startup SharkDreams as head of development and research. He currently is leveraging his Park Scholarship at NC State University to pursue a master’s degree in Computer Engineering with a concentration in embedded systems. In his spare time, he codes (really), seeks great food and music, and plays a good bit of frisbee. His favorite beers are Goses and sours.

As head of technology for Precision Fermentation, Ross’ responsibilities focus on architecting, developing, and managing all aspects of BrewMonitor Console, plus the administration of database, web, and email servers for all product and business initiatives. Ross has over 20 years of professional experience in full-stack development, previously heading an independent consulting company where he produced custom solutions for a broad range of clients, including government, photography, entertainment, ecommerce, and more. Ross studied music at the University of Southern Maine and is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and recording engineer. His favorite beer is unfiltered Belgian wheat.

Bruce heads all strategic and operational marketing efforts for Precision Fermentation. He is a seasoned marketer with over 20 years of experience connecting technology solutions with market opportunities and customers. Previously, he served as Director of Marketing Strategy for eG Innovations, a global IT performance-monitoring software provider, and throughout his career he has provided marketing leadership and tactical direction for technology-driven businesses across many industries, including IT, financial services, commercial printing, healthcare, wholesale distribution, and entertainment. Bruce received his B.A. in Philosophy from Dickinson College. His favorite beer is double IPA and he also enjoys sours and creative stouts.

Mike manages Precision Fermentation’s growing global sales organization, including direct and channel sales, sales operations, and client service, with a focus on ensuring strong customer adoption, value recognition, and an overall great customer experience. As a principal of the company, his responsibilities also include shaping corporate strategy, while driving and deploying specific revenue-generation plans. He is a graduate of Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business and previously worked for over 25 years in the banking and capital markets industries, where he drove business growth for data, analytics, and integration software providers. Mike is a beer enthusiast with a preference for Belgians, porters, stouts, sours, and an occasional IPA.

Daniel has over 20 years of experience in the retail side of the brewing industry, opening and operating multiple restaurant and taproom concepts and producing many industry events. Through these ventures, Daniel developed a passion for craft beer and the ardent people that produce it. When the opportunity arose to focus his expertise on working to help improve the industry he loves, he jumped in and hasn’t looked back. Daniel graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, played soccer both at UNC and in Germany for Hamburg SV, and spends his spare time with his wife and two daughters.

Jared leverages his 25 years of leadership, business development, and operations experience to guide all major business functions of Precision Fermentation. He has owned, operated, and grown a number of successful businesses in North Carolina, gathering extensive experience through consulting in technology, retail sales, business development, and business operations. Based on his wide range of expertise, he has taught business development classes at local business schools. In 2015, Jared became a partner in Mimetics, a new, Durham-based technology company, which focused on hidden patterns in complex time-series biological data. Precision Fermentation was created from the results of Mimetics’ research, science, and development. Jared received his degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As lead engineer for Precision Fermentation, Dave’s responsibilities focus on the design, development, and deployment of the BrewMonitor System. Dave grew up on the coastal waters of Georgetown, SC, and attended College of Charleston where he majored in Biology and Psychology. He attended graduate school at Clemson University, where he earned his master’s degree in Biosystems Engineering with a focus on wastewater treatment and biofuel fermentations. He started his career at Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard, NC, first as a QC Tech and then as QC Lab Manager. He then worked in R&D at Mimetics in Durham, studying brewing yeast transcriptional analysis, before joining Precision Fermentation. He enjoys mountain biking, gardening, and IPAs.