The people responsible for sensory evaluation and more.
Tragon was founded by two former staff members of Stanford Research Institute (SRI),
Dr. Herbert Stone and Joel L. Sidel. They were responsible for advancing sensory evaluation
as an industry standard method of measuring and understanding customer perception.
That leadership incorporating the sensory element in marketing research continues today
at Tragon. We have leading specialists in many disciplines, from diverse backgrounds, who
work with the common goal of meeting clients' development and marketing challenges.
Herbert Stone, Ph.D., President and Co-Founder of Tragon
Douglas Vort, Chief Operating Officer
Rebecca Bleibaum, Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Heather A. Thomas, Vice President, Research
Jane Robichaud, Vice President, Global Business
Howard Schutz, Ph.D., Senior Advisor
Herbert Stone, Ph.D., President and Co-Founder of Tragon
Dr. Stone was the 2004-2005 President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Previously, Dr. Stone was Director at Stanford Research Institute (SRI). He received his Ph.D. from U.C. Davis, has lectured worldwide, is the author of over 125 publications and holds
6 patents. Dr. Stone is coauthor with Joel Sidel of Sensory Evaluation Practices, one of the most respected texts in the industry.
Douglas Vort, Chief Operating Officer
As Chief Operating Officer, Vort is responsible for all operations of the firm. Prior to joining Tragon, Vort was Vice President of Sales & Operations at American Culinary ChefsBest (ACC), an independent food judging organization where he was instrumental in guiding the company to operational efficiency and profitability. Prior to ACC, Vort was President of ComputerCare where he was responsible for growing the firm from a regional computer repair provider to the third largest IBM service provider in the U.S. Vort has also held management roles at Oracle Corporation and E&J Gallo. Vort holds a B.S. degree in Finance from the University of the Pacific.
Rebecca N. Bleibaum, Vice President, Marketing and Sales
Bleibaum is responsible for worldwide sales and marketing, new product development and custom primary research. Bleibaum also is a Tragon QDA™ moderator and a guest lecturer for various technical organizations. She participates on the advisory board for the American Culinary Institute (ACI). Bleibaum is the UC Davis co-developer and instructor of the "Applied Sensory Science and Consumer Testing Certificate Program for Distance Learners," which is now in its 3rd successful year. Bleibaum earned her B.S. from U.C. Davis and her M.A. in Physiological Psychology and Psychophysics from Washington University specializing in Consumer Behavior.
Heather A. Thomas, Vice President, Research
Thomas is responsible for worldwide data analysis, specializing in product optimization techniques, segmentation research, experimental design, choice based modeling, and advanced multivariate analysis techniques. She is also a trained Tragon QDA™ panel moderator. Thomas received her B.S. from U.C. Davis. She is co-author of "Hitting the Target: Sensory and Product Optimization "with Stone and Sidel.
Jane Robichaud , Vice President, Global Business
Robichaud is Vice President of Global Business joining Tragon June 2006 after a career in both winemaking and strategic sensory evaluation. Prior to joining Tragon, Robichaud was a product developer and sensory scientist with Beringer / Fosters Wine Estates where she became a trained Tragon QDA™ Moderator. While at Beringer, Robichaud was also president of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture (2000-2001). Robichaud has a BSc in Food & Management Science from London University and a Masters in Food Science, specializing in Enology and Sensory, from UC Davis.
Howard Schutz Ph.D., Senior Advisor
Dr. Schutz is Professor Emeritus of Consumer Sciences at U.C. Davis. Previous to his UC Davis position, Dr. Schutz was a Senior Research Psychologist at the Quartermaster Food and Container Institute, Senior Scientist at Battelle Memorial Institute and Associate Director of Research at Hunt Wesson Foods. He was a founding member of the Sensory Evaluation Division of IFT and the ASTM E-18 committee and received the Peryam Lifetime Achievement Award in Sensory Evaluation. He has published over 165 technical articles, 9 government reports and holds one patent.
