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When Melissa Weber earned her Ph.D. in meat science from Kansas State University, she didn’t picture herself becoming a driving force in the pet food industry — but life had bigger plans! After five years immersed in the fresh meat sector at Cargill, she found her passion in pet food, where she spent years at Mars Pet Care spearheading innovations, launching new products and crafting cost-effective recipes to nourish pets around the world. Today, Weber serves as the director of technical services at Wilbur-Ellis, leading R&D, lab services, technical sales and FSQR for the pet business. She thrives on developing scientific talent, building strong customer partnerships and conducting research that makes a real difference for the industry. Weber is all about the “so what?” — constantly challenging her teams to ensure research and product development solve real-world market challenges. She firmly believes that collaboration across the industry is essential to delivering superior quality products that don’t just meet but delight customer expectations.