DEAN R. ANDERSON AWARD

Inspired by Dean and his commitment to science and innovation.

From Howard Lake, Minnesota, he was a bright, small-town kid with big ideas and aspiring dreams. He found his way to the College of Agriculture at the University of Minnesota. He enjoyed his initial job working as a traveling salesman for a chemical company. Having made some chemical discoveries and observations in his time as a salesman, he decided to tell his employer of his findings. His ideas were laughed off, but he decided to continue his research anyway. Ultimately, his love of science combined with extraordinary persistence resulted in starting a feed ingredient company in his kitchen with his wife Mary.

Life at home had its share of uncertainty and adventure, especially during the early years of invention. He signed his seven-year anniversary card letting his wife Mary know he was “still broke and still in love.” Formulating was a family affair—the smell of experiments permeated throughout their house. He did make it out of the kitchen and into a one room office down the street in Excelsior, the town where he and Mary were raising their boys. From one office to the next, the company began to succeed. As co-founder of Zinpro Corporation and a distinguished alumnus of the University of Minnesota, he attributed his prosperity to the support of family and friends. Many who bought shares at one dollar per share. He found endless contentment spending time with his lifelong family and friends. One of his fraternity brothers still serves on the Zinpro Board of Directors, 54 years later. It was a lifelong passion of trying to create healthier lives for animals and people. His unfailing strength was persistence, believing fully that a constant drip of water could wear away the hardest stone. He valued hard work and caring for those working hard, his employees. Zinpro’s generous healthcare still stands today. Even though Dean suffered greatly with his health problems he always responded, "just great" when asked how he was doing. Of course, that was not true, Dean had a congenital heart defect and a short lifespan was expected and exceeded. He never gave up nor wasted a moment, thankfully, we are left with his spirit of giving and passion for science.