Dennis Bettencourt

Dennis Bettencourt has over 27 years of experience in various leadership roles in the food processing industry. Dennis is currently the Director of Operations at Hampton Farms. Prior to this, they served as the Site Director at Blue Diamond Growers for six years, where they managed operations at three nationwide locations. Dennis was awarded the Blue Diamond Presidents award for their leadership. Before that, they were the Director of Operations at Ready Roast Nut Company, overseeing operations at four nationwide snack food/nut plants.

From 2006 to 2015, Dennis worked as the Plant Manager-Operations at John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., where they directed all executable functions at a nut shelling and snack food processing facility. Dennis also served as the Director of Engineering at Newstar Fresh Foods from 2004 to 2006, managing the plant's technical division and implementing a plant-wide CMMS.

Dennis started their career at Diamond Foods, Inc. in 1995, where they served as the Engineering and Maintenance Manager. Dennis was responsible for overseeing the engineering and maintenance staff, managing plant utilities, and implementing new packaging lines.

Throughout their career, Dennis has demonstrated strong leadership skills, P&L responsibilities, and expertise in plant operations and technical divisions.

Dennis Bettencourt obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University, which they completed between 1986 and 1991. Dennis also pursued Management and Leadership Coursework at the University of the Pacific. In terms of additional certifications, they received a PCQI Certification from the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) in January 2016, and became an SQF Practitioner through the SQF Institute in July 2008.