production, and a Kemps attorney with expertise in
this area intervenes if problems arise. The legal team
oversees plant safety and response to employee
injuries, as well. Due to the perishable nature of its
products, the milk industry tends to be regionally ori-
ented. As a result, a “significant” portion of Kemps’
duties involves purchases from local farmer coop-
eratives. Real estate is another province of Dean’s
legal team, as is contract-related work and issues
The dairy business is “quite regulated,” Kemps
said, and there are a number of rules that apply
to the food and beverage processes. Milk prices
are determined by the federal government, and
state regulators have their say, too. Regulators set
monthly minimum prices for raw milk, and have
done so “probably for the last 70 or more years.”
In addition to oversight by the SEC and NYSE, Dean’s
business is monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug
until 1993, Kemps clerked for Chief Judge Paul
A. Magnuson of the U.S. district court in St. Paul,
Minn. It afforded him a priceless perspective into
the legal process and “the inner workings of the
courts.” He calls on this experience when directing
litigation or during contract disputes. Kemps was a
staff auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick in Minneapolis
from 1987 until 1988.
Broaden your experience. Having a working knowledge
of...all disciplines...is key.”
generated by the company’s extensive use of refrigerated trucks.
SIGNIFICANT TRANSFORMATION
Dean Foods is undergoing a fundamental transformation, which is having an effect on all company
areas including the legal department. Particularly
throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dean grew through
a series of acquisitions. These established a network
of separate, independent companies. The parent
group now is attempting to centralize and coordinate
its businesses as a single large operation, rather
than stockpiling small satellites. “I am dealing with
a host of issues relating to that,” Kemps said.
Administration and the Department of Agriculture,
among others. It must satisfy federal requirements
concerning the status of organic foods. Another set
of regulations governs its U.K. operations.
PERSONAL
Kemps is a native of Appleton, Wis. He and his
wife, Laurie, are the parents of sons John and Sam.
He is a self-described hockey nut. Kemps graduated
from the University of Wisconsin School of Business
in 1986 with a B.B.A. in accounting. He received
a juris doctorate from the University of Wisconsin
Law School, graduating cum laude in 1991. Kemps
offered this advice to a future successor: “Broaden
your experience. Having a working knowledge of
litigation, labor and employment law, SEC, corporate
governance—all disciplines—is key.”
ROUTE TO THE TOP
Before arriving at Dean Foods, Kemps served
from 1997 until 2006 in a variety of legal positions
at consumer products company Kimberly-Clark
Corp., primarily in Dallas. Before moving in-house,
he practiced at Dorsey & Whitney. As an associate, beginning in 1993, he focused on mergers
and acquisitions, securities offerings, general corporate law and securities litigation. From 1991
A BOOK AND MOVIE
First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest
Managers Do Differently, by Marcus Buckingham and
Curt Coffman; and The Incredible Hulk.
—ROGER ADLER
An earlier version of this profile appeared in The
National Law Journal on July 28, 2008.
