Jessica Kolde

Director of Operations, Buckhorn, Inc.

Jessica Kolde brings a strong background in manufacturing, engineering and supply chain through a wide lens of industries and business size. Jessica is a graduate of Kansas State University with a BS in Industrial Engineering and is currently pursuing an EMBA at the University of Arkansas. Jessica started her career with Nestle Purina as an operations management trainee and spent her first 11 years in various manufacturing sites with increasing responsibilities. From there she made a transition to a private equity invested start up, Angie’s Boomchickapop, helping to transform the family owned business into a world class operation. Following a successful acquisition, she transitioned out of CPG and into B2B for an ingredient supplier in SW MO and then out of food and into industrial packaging with Buckhorn, Inc, a Myers Industry company. Jessica is responsible for long term capital planning and technical innovation, supply chain functions, and manufacturing operations. This is Jessica’s 3rd Missouri residency (after St. Joseph and St. Louis with stints in GA, IA and MN in there too) and she is passionate about her personal and business partnerships with the community. With each career move, Jessica looks to make an impact on the future of manufacturing for women and strives to create a more diverse and inclusive environment overall at each work environment. Jessica is also on the board for Girls on the Run of Southwest Missouri and a cub scout den leader for the girls den of pack 116, of which her two daughters are participating scouts. Jessica loves being outside (making SoMo the perfect environment), her family loves to spend time at Table Rock Lake while her husband Chad looks to sneak off for some trout fishing and Jessica tries to squeeze in some trail running.