Rick Stokes is the Area Technical Support Manager for Food Safety and Digital Consulting in the Food and Beverage division of Ecolab.  He has spent 25 years in the food and beverage industry working in areas of Quality, Food Safety, Thermal Process, Sanitary Design and Sanitation in Laboratory, Plant and Corporate positions for Nestle, Campbell’s Soup, Leprino and Kraft.  He joined Ecolab to help lead the SEALS technical support group focused on troubleshooting some of our customer’s biggest challenges in food safety, chemical safety and sanitation effectiveness.  During his time at Ecolab, he has worked many times with customers and medical and toxicological experts to quantify, evaluate and recommend optimal courses of action for our customers when they are involved in chemical or allergen related food safety incidents.  He is committed to advancing food safety and sanitation knowledge through his active engagement and leadership in a variety of organizations.  He has served in the past as PDG Vice-Chair and Chairperson for the Sanitary Design for Equipment and Facility.  He is currently Vice-President of the Minnesota Food Protection Association (local IAFP affiliate), and is an active member/presenter with 3-A, AFFI, IFPA, CBA, FARRP and many regional food safety associations.