Ben Knoll

Senior Advisor, Corporate Development
Ben Knoll

Ben is passionate about building business. It’s just his thing. As he sees it, growing businesses can create a crescendo of benefits—to customers, to upstream sources, and to employees. Ben says the work of PFS hits all of his buttons, blending his for-profit, nonprofit, and international experience. Most recently, Ben served as COO of the Greater Twin Cities United Way, responsible for community impact investments and administration. Previously, Ben was CEO of GroupEx, a privately held mid-cap payments company that he grew and led through its sale to a strategic corporate buyer. Both at work and away, Ben has pursued opportunities in the developing world, including working for a leading microfinance organization. Ben has served on a few non-profit boards as well, including a role currently on the board of Opportunity Partners, an organization supporting choices for people with disabilities. In his free time, Ben enjoys international travel, running, and reading (mostly histories and biographies). He lives in Edina with his wife, Andrea, and his two children, Peter and Lydia.

General Mills
General Mills, the founding member of Partners in Food Solutions, is one of the world’s leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Cargill
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 150,000 people in 70 countries.
DSM
With a nearly 30,000 strong team and unparalleled capabilities built on more than a century of cutting-edge science, dsm-firmenich is a trailblazer in the reinvention, manufacturing, and combination of vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances.
Bühler
Bühler is a global leader in the field of process engineering, in particular production technologies and services for producing foods and manufacturing advanced materials. Bühler operates in over 140 countries and has a over 10,000 employees worldwide.
Hershey
The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, PA, is a global confectionery leader known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks.
Ardent Mills
Ardent Mills is committed to transforming how the world is nourished.
Smucker's
Inspired by more than 120 years of business success and five generations of family leadership, The J. M. Smucker Company makes food that people and pets love. The Company’s portfolio of 40+ brands, which are found in 90 percent of U.S. homes and countless restaurants, include iconic products consumers have always loved such as Folgers, Jif and Milk-Bone plus new favorites like Café Bustelo, Smucker’s Uncrustables and Rachael Ray Nutrish.