Jim Dean
Jim Dean serves as CEO of Versova and Center Fresh Group as well as chairman of the board of Versova Management Cooperative. With nearly 60 years of experience in egg production, Jim has led the construction and operation of numerous integrated animal agriculture operations in Iowa.
In the mid-1990s, Jim partnered with several farming families to found Center Fresh Group. These families, with backgrounds in egg marketing, dairy operations, agricultural construction, and feed and grain, shared a vision to build and grow egg production through new, modern farms in Iowa. That collaboration became the first of many family partnerships that shaped what Versova is today.
In 2011, Jim partnered with additional egg farming families to bring together major egg production operations in Iowa and Ohio, creating a management structure rooted in shared values and long-term stewardship. In 2016, Jim united these operations to form Versova, a family of companies built on shared guiding principles and core values.
Jim is a recognized leader in the egg farming community and has held several roles in state and national agriculture and commodity organizations. He served for two years as chairman of United Egg Producers (UEP) and is a past board member of the Iowa Poultry Association, U.S. Egg Marketers, and Midwest United Egg Producers. Jim was inducted into the Iowa Poultry Association Hall of Fame in 2009, and in 2014, he was honored as UEP’s Egg Producer of the Year. He currently serves on the Dordt University Leadership Advisory Council in Sioux Center, Iowa.