10 Darling Ingredients plant leaders
Each of these Darling Ingredients plant leaders holds the Plant Manager title at Darling Ingredients today. A reader can learn how plant leaders run their sites at Darling Ingredients from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Brenden Jefferson
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Brenden Jefferson has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since February 2023, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Brenden Jefferson lists Packaging Supervisor and Mechanical Supervisor rows at ASR Group, each from 2020 to 2023, and was Production Supervisor at National Beverage Corp. from 2014 to 2020.
Bryan Padilla
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Bryan Padilla has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since May 2022, based in the United States, and the profile headline reads Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients. Bryan Padilla was Plant Manager at VALLEY PROTEINS INC from 2016 to 2022 and Plant Manager at H.T.C Industries from 2010 to 2016.
Dave Young, CSP
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Dave Young, CSP has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since August 2025, based in New Market, Virginia. Dave Young, CSP was Sr. Safety Manager at Innovative Refrigeration Systems, Inc. in 2025 and Environment, Health and Safety Manager at DRiV from 2024 to 2025.
Gilbert Rodriguez
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Gilbert Rodriguez has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since December 2019, based in Loup City, Nebraska. Gilbert Rodriguez was Rendering Manager at Tyson Foods from 2017 to 2019 and rendering supervisor at JBS from 2001 to 2014, and lists a wastewater treatment plant supervisor row at JBS from 2015 to 2017.
Jake Fletchall
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients, Inc.
Jake Fletchall has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients, Inc. since September 2026, with the role listed in Ellenwood, Georgia. Jake Fletchall was Maintenance Manager at Schweid & Sons from 2025 to 2026, Director of Maintenance at Eddy Foods Inc. from 2024 to 2025 and Maintenance Manager at Tyson Foods from 2021 to 2024.
John Jambor
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
John Jambor has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since October 2025, with the role listed in Springdale, Arkansas. John Jambor was Bio Production Manager at Pel-Freez Biologicals from 2022 to 2025 and Shift Supervisor at Jupeng Bio, Inc. from 2012 to 2020.
Juan Carranza
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Juan Carranza has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since March 2024, with the role listed in Turlock, California. Juan Carranza was Operations Superintendent at Sensient Technologies Corporation from 2022 to 2024 and Operations Team Lead at Blue Diamond Growers from 2015 to 2022.
Keith Richard
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Keith Richard has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since March 2015, based in Henderson, Kentucky. Keith Richard was Mill Manager at Murphy-Brown LLC from 2013 to 2015 and plant manager at KENT Nutrition from 2011 to 2013, and the profile headline opens with General Manager.
Mike Pennington
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Mike Pennington has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since August 2024, based in West End, North Carolina, and the profile headline reads Plant manager, Darling Ingredients. Mike Pennington was Maintenance Manager at Smithfield Foods from 2020 to 2024 and Maintenance Manager at Mountaire Farms from 2000 to 2020.
Raymond Brown-Fields
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Darling Ingredients
Raymond Brown-Fields has been Plant Manager at Darling Ingredients since December 2025, based in Morristown, Tennessee. Raymond Brown-Fields was Production Supervisor at Double H. from 2024 to 2025 and Production Supervisor ll at TEAM Technologies, Incorporated from 2021 to 2024.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's own plant and the work they describe there to your question, since running one kind of plant can look very different from running another. Weigh how recently each person took the role, because someone new to a plant and someone who has led it for years will describe different challenges.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took over your plant?
- 02How do you split your own time between the floor and the people you report to?
- 03What from the roles you held inside a plant before leading one still shapes how you run it?
Reaching Darling Ingredients plant leaders
How can I contact one of these Darling Ingredients plant leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 2 companies: Darling Ingredients and Darling Ingredients, Inc., based on profile data retrieved on October 25, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Darling Ingredients plant leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Darling Ingredients plant leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.