James (Jim) Hall
President & CEO
Bringing over 30 years of pharmaceutical and combination product manufacturing and development experience, Jim’s expertise has guided us for over 25 years.
During his tenure, Jim has risen from a managerial role to Director, General Manager and Vice President. In 2017, Jim was appointed as our President, overseeing all operations at Lifecore. Jim was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Jackie Klecker
General Manager & Executive Vice President
With over 30 years of industry experience in quality, manufacturing, and development, Jackie has guided our quality assurance for over a decade.
After serving as Director of Quality from July 2010 to June 2014, Jackie went on to become our Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs from June 2014 to June 2018. In 2018, she was appointed as our Vice President and General Manager. Jackie was appointed to her current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
John Morberg
Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President
John was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Landec Corporation (former parent company of Lifecore) in January 2021. Prior to joining Landec, he was CFO and General Counsel for BL Restaurant Holdings, LLC. Previously, he held roles including CEO, CFO, and board member at Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp; CFO of DEI Holdings, Inc., through its initial public offering and the early stages of being a public company; and Vice President and Controller of PETCO.
John began his career at KPMG and has a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and a BBA, Accounting from the University of San Diego. He is a member of the State Bar of California and holds an inactive CPA license. John was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Landec Corporation transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Darren Hieber
Sr. Vice President of Corporate Development & Partnerships
Darren is responsible for developing Lifecore’s corporate strategy, bringing us two decades of pharmaceutical experience specifically focused on business development in high-growth environments. Darren has a passion for strategic business development, executive-level business support, and driving results.
Darren was the Vice President of Business Development at Catalent Biologics before joining Lifecore in November 2021. He was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Matt Augustson
Sr. Vice President of Information Technology
Matt partners closely with the company’s business functions to deliver enterprise solutions that will support growth and future-proof the company while seeking operational excellence and harnessing data for business insights.
With more than 20 years in the IT industry, Matt is a proven leader in developing, designing, selling, implementing, and architecting end-to-end IT solutions for manufacturing, health care and retail.
Before joining Lifecore, he worked at First Brands Group, Prime Therapeutics, Best Buy, Accenture, Oracle, and Retek. Matt was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Steve Laninga
Vice President of Operations
Bringing over 20 years of pharmaceutical manufacturing experience to Lifecore, Steve began his career as an engineer and moved into leadership positions in engineering and operations within the pharmaceutical industry.
After leaving his previous role as Vice President of Operations and Site Lead at Perrigo, Steve joined us as our Vice President of Operations in January 2020.
Rick Sitarz
Vice President of New Business Development
Responsible for new business development, marketing, strategic planning and project management, Rick brings over 30 years of biotech experience to Lifecore.
After leaving his previous role as Vice President of Peripheral Interventions Marketing at Boston Scientific, Rick joined us as our Vice President of New Business Development in June 2015.
Phil Sticha
Vice President of Business Operations
With more than 26 years of tenure at Lifecore, Phil has extensive knowledge of all areas within the organization. He served as Senior Director of Manufacturing for more than 20 years prior to joining the New Business Development team as a Senior Director.
In 2022, Phil was appointed to his current role focusing on business operational excellence.
Kipling Thacker, Ph.D.
Vice President and Corporate Scientist
Kip is the co-inventor of the process Lifecore uses to make sodium hyaluronate. He has held various research and business development positions with Lifecore from 1981 to 2000, when he then served as our Director of New Business Development.
In 2004, he was appointed as our Vice President of New Business Development, and in 2010 he rose to his current position as our Vice President and Corporate Scientist.
Kara Morley
Sr. Vice President of Human Resources
Kara is responsible for leading the human resources function at Lifecore, bringing over 25 years of HR experience.
Kara began her HR career in the staffing industry and quickly moved into corporate HR where she has supported teams in the banking, services, retail, CPG, and distribution industries. Kara was the Vice President of HR at Werner Electric before joining Lifecore in October 2021. She was appointed to her current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Scott Collins
Vice President of Finance
With over 20 years of financial experience, Scott has worked across various finance positions with us, including as our Financial Controller from 2007 to 2009.
In 2010, he became our Senior Director of Finance for seven years before his appointment as our Vice President of Finance.
Lifecore’s Leadership Team
We are proud to collaborate with customers who create products that improve lives.
We also recognize the importance of our role and our responsibilities to employees, customers, consumers, and the planet.
Click on each headshot to find out more.
James (Jim) Hall
President & CEO
Bringing over 30 years of pharmaceutical and combination product manufacturing and development experience, Jim’s expertise has guided us for over 25 years.
During his tenure, Jim has risen from a managerial role to Director, General Manager and Vice President. In 2017, Jim was appointed as our President, overseeing all operations at Lifecore. Jim was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Jackie Klecker
General Manager & Executive Vice President
With over 30 years of industry experience in quality, manufacturing, and development, Jackie has guided our quality assurance for over a decade.
After serving as Director of Quality from July 2010 to June 2014, Jackie went on to become our Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs from June 2014 to June 2018. In 2018, she was appointed as our Vice President and General Manager. Jackie was appointed to her current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
John Morberg
Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President
John was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Landec Corporation (former parent company of Lifecore) in January 2021. Prior to joining Landec, he was CFO and General Counsel for BL Restaurant Holdings, LLC. Previously, he held roles including CEO, CFO, and board member at Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp; CFO of DEI Holdings, Inc., through its initial public offering and the early stages of being a public company; and Vice President and Controller of PETCO.
John began his career at KPMG and has a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and a BBA, Accounting from the University of San Diego. He is a member of the State Bar of California and holds an inactive CPA license. John was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Landec Corporation transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Darren Hieber
Sr. Vice President of Corporate Development & Partnerships
Darren is responsible for developing Lifecore’s corporate strategy, bringing us two decades of pharmaceutical experience specifically focused on business development in high-growth environments. Darren has a passion for strategic business development, executive-level business support, and driving results.
Darren was the Vice President of Business Development at Catalent Biologics before joining Lifecore in November 2021. He was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Matt Augustson
Sr. Vice President of Information Technology
Matt partners closely with the company’s business functions to deliver enterprise solutions that will support growth and future-proof the company while seeking operational excellence and harnessing data for business insights.
With more than 20 years in the IT industry, Matt is a proven leader in developing, designing, selling, implementing, and architecting end-to-end IT solutions for manufacturing, health care and retail.
Before joining Lifecore, he worked at First Brands Group, Prime Therapeutics, Best Buy, Accenture, Oracle, and Retek. Matt was appointed to his current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Steve Laninga
Vice President of Operations
Bringing over 20 years of pharmaceutical manufacturing experience to Lifecore, Steve began his career as an engineer and moved into leadership positions in engineering and operations within the pharmaceutical industry.
After leaving his previous role as Vice President of Operations and Site Lead at Perrigo, Steve joined us as our Vice President of Operations in January 2020.
Rick Sitarz
Vice President of New Business Development
Responsible for new business development, marketing, strategic planning and project management, Rick brings over 30 years of biotech experience to Lifecore.
After leaving his previous role as Vice President of Peripheral Interventions Marketing at Boston Scientific, Rick joined us as our Vice President of New Business Development in June 2015.
Phil Sticha
Vice President of Business Operations
With more than 26 years of tenure at Lifecore, Phil has extensive knowledge of all areas within the organization. He served as Senior Director of Manufacturing for more than 20 years prior to joining the New Business Development team as a Senior Director.
In 2022, Phil was appointed to his current role focusing on business operational excellence.
Kipling Thacker, Ph.D.
Vice President and Corporate Scientist
Kip is the co-inventor of the process Lifecore uses to make sodium hyaluronate. He has held various research and business development positions with Lifecore from 1981 to 2000, when he then served as our Director of New Business Development.
In 2004, he was appointed as our Vice President of New Business Development, and in 2010 he rose to his current position as our Vice President and Corporate Scientist.
Kara Morley
Sr. Vice President of Human Resources
Kara is responsible for leading the human resources function at Lifecore, bringing over 25 years of HR experience.
Kara began her HR career in the staffing industry and quickly moved into corporate HR where she has supported teams in the banking, services, retail, CPG, and distribution industries. Kara was the Vice President of HR at Werner Electric before joining Lifecore in October 2021. She was appointed to her current position in 2022 when Lifecore’s parent company (Landec Corporation) transitioned to become a standalone (Lifecore Biomedical).
Scott Collins
Vice President of Finance
With over 20 years of financial experience, Scott has worked across various finance positions with us, including as our Financial Controller from 2007 to 2009.
In 2010, he became our Senior Director of Finance for seven years before his appointment as our Vice President of Finance.
Our Mission and Values
To work with our partners to provide high-quality, innovative product development and manufacturing solutions guided by our unwavering commitment to improving people’s lives.
Our People
Our employees are our greatest resource. We are commited to growth, development and engagement.
Delighting The Customer
Each employee makes an impact and we strive to exceed our customer’s expectations every day.
100% Right The First Time
We strive for 100% success and excellence in all that we do each and every day.
Continuous Improvement
We actively seek to continuously improve processes by the relentless elimination of waste and striving to be better every day.
Pharmaceutical Elegance
Visual evidence that we deliver the highest quality and meet the highest standards in all we do.
Caring
We act with integrity and compassion to support patients, customers, our communities, and each other.
Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG)
We are committed in our journey to establish a framework for a Lifecore ESG program based on globally recognized institutions. As stewards of the environment, we engage all levels of the organization to ensure our sustainability initiatives are executed with excellence.
Our Sustainability Committee, comprised of employees throughout the organization, regularly presents results to our leadership teams to ensure progress on initiatives.
Our Campus
Three FDA and TUV-approved formulation, packaging, and sterile injectable facilities give us the capacity to manufacture clinical and commercial phase products reliably.
Site 1: 150,000 Square Foot Facility
Key utilities
- Water for injection (WFI) system; Clean steam systems
- Nitrogen, compressed air, vacuum, temperature control loops
- On-site metrology department
Sodium Hyaluronate fermentation and purification
- Sterile Sodium Hyaluronate production
Formulation suites
- ISO 7 (Grade C) formulation suites
- Sterile formulation capability (isolator)
Aseptic filling
- ISO 5 (Grade A) cleanroom filling suites
- Two Optima 5 head syringe fillers
- One Flexicon vial filler
- One Optima 5 head multi-use filler (vial or syringe)
- ISO 7 (Grade C) isolator filling suites
- Coming soon: Groninger 10 head multi-use filler (vial or syringe) in Skan isolator
- Coming soon: Groninger 5 head multi-use filler (vial or syringe) in Skan isolator
Secondary packaging
- Syringe assembly (addition of plunger rod, finger grip, or custom parts, labeling)
- Sealing in tray or pouch configuration
- ISO 8 (Grade D) secondary packaging suites available
Quality control laboratories
- Sterility and Bioburden testing isolator
- Endotoxin testing
- Analytical testing capabilities
- LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)
Warehousing & distribution
Dedicated development and pilot labs
Site 2: 78,000 Square Foot Facility
Final packaging
- Manual and semi-automated cartoning capability
- Serialization capability
Warehousing & distribution
- 2-8°C and controlled room temperature storage capability
QC laboratory
- Analytical testing capabilities
- USP particulate testing lab
- LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)
Site 3: 20,000 Square Foot Facility
Warehousing
Raw material receiving and inspection
Locations
Site 1: Lyman Blvd
3515 Lyman Blvd
Chaska, MN 55318
Phone Number: +1 (952) 368-4300
Toll Free: +1-800-348-4368
Fax Number: +1 (952) 368-3411
Site 2: Lakeview Drive
1245 Lakeview Drive,
Chaska, MN 55318
Site 3: Shelby Court
8700 Shelby Court,
Suite 400 Chanhassen, MN 55317
End-to-end CDMO services with high-touch project management to stay on track toward commercialization.
Discover Development Options
Decades working with highly complex products (> 100,000 cP) mean we know how to do straightforward-to-difficult development the right way, from the start.
Maximize Your Manufacturing
As a full-service CDMO, we help simplify complexities for all clinical and commercial aseptic injectable products.