BioChroma Analytical Labs, LLC was founded in 2015 by Benny McKee and Cheri Turman-Ballard, PhD. After successful careers in analytical testing, quality, and regulated manufacturing across the food, supplement, skin care, and pharmaceutical industries, they set out to build an independent laboratory of their own.
BioChroma Analytical Laboratory, LLC is accredited by PJLA to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for Biological and Chemical Testing. Accreditation No. 105837. Scope applies only to accredited activities.
Benny McKee
President and Cofounder
Benny is the President and Cofounder of BioChroma. He is an executive leader with more than 40 years of experience, with areas of expertise in general and operations management, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting, and profit and loss management, in addition to industry-specific areas such as regulatory compliance, GMP auditing, food safety auditing, statistical processes, ISO/IEC 17025, formulations, and microbiology applications.
Before founding BioChroma, Benny was Chief Scientific Officer at Coats Aloe International, where he was responsible for leading a team of R&D, microbiology, quality assurance, and quality control professionals. He spent nearly 20 years at Analytical Food Laboratories, where he helped build the foundation of the contract analytical laboratory by developing a team of scientists that expanded testing capabilities. Benny has also held positions of Executive Vice President of Business Development, Vice President of Operations, General Manager, and Laboratory Coordinator.
Benny is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University with a BS in Biology. He has continued his education with HACCP, processing of low-acid and acidified foods, microbiological shelf-life and challenge studies for food products, sensory analysis, seafood decomposition, and seafood sensory training.
Cheri Turman-Ballard, PhD
Vice President and Cofounder
Dr. Turman-Ballard is the Vice President and Cofounder of BioChroma. She brings over 30 years of experience in analytical chemistry, quality systems, regulatory affairs, scientific affairs, method development, process engineering, and laboratory leadership.
Before BioChroma, Dr. Turman-Ballard served as Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Provitas, a supplier of oil-soluble vitamins and nutrients for fortifying both fat- and water-soluble food, feed, supplement, and personal care products, where she managed all regulatory, quality, and technical aspects. Earlier, she was Vice President of Quality for Coats Aloe International, a contract manufacturer for the pharmaceutical, beverage, dietary supplement, and skin care industries, where she oversaw all regulatory, QA, and QC functions. Other positions include Director of Chemistry and Research Chemist for a third-party analytical laboratory, and Laboratory Director for a biotechnology research facility. She has gained extensive knowledge in analytical method development, process engineering, and the quality and regulatory aspects concerning these areas.
Dr. Turman-Ballard holds BS and MS degrees in Chemistry from Stephen F. Austin State University and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and MD Anderson. Her area of research was drug metabolism and toxicology, specifically as it pertains to Cytochrome P450s. She has held various adjunct professor positions, teaching courses from undergraduate general chemistry to graduate-level biophysical chemistry and biochemistry.
Dr. Turman-Ballard has received honors including Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honor Society induction and Welch Scholar recognition. She is a member of organizations including the American Chemical Society, the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, the Institute of Food Technologists, and the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. Her publications include peer-reviewed journal articles, industry-specific trade publications, and authored chapters in Case Files Biochemistry.
