ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CHS Inc. (Nasdaq: CHSCP) President and CEO designate Carl Casale has announced his senior leadership team. Casale, who becomes president and CEO of CHS on Jan. 3, 2011, will succeed current President and CEO John Johnson, who is retiring Dec. 31, 2010. The appointments to CHS senior leadership team are effective Jan. 3.
In announcing his leadership team, Casale said, "I look forward to working with this experienced and talented team of individuals who will help lead our company forward as we seek opportunities to add value for CHS stakeholders."
The CHS senior leadership team includes:
Jay Debertin, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Energy and Foods. Debertin, 50, will be responsible for refineries, pipelines, refined fuels sales, marketing and distribution, lubricants, propane and renewable fuels as well as vegetable oil-based foods through Ventura Foods, LLC. Debertin joined the company in 1984 in its Energy division and has held a variety of positions, serving most recently as executive vice president and chief operating officer, Processing. Debertin currently serves as chairman of the board of the National Cooperative Refinery Association. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of North Dakota and a master's of business administration degree from the University of Wisconsin -- Madison.
Mark Palmquist, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Ag Business. Palmquist, 53, will be responsible for all grain and processing related business units including crop nutrients, country operations, grain marketing, terminal operations, exports, logistics and transportation and international grain businesses. Palmquist will oversee oilseed processing operations and the company's Horizon Milling, LLC joint venture in wheat milling. He joined the company in 1979 as a grain merchandiser and has held a variety of positions in grain, currently serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer, Ag Business. Palmquist holds a bachelor's degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., and attended the master's of business administration program at the University of Minnesota.
Lynden Johnson, senior vice president, Business Solutions. Johnson, 50, will assume responsibility for Business Solutions, with an emphasis on programs and products that support the success of member cooperatives and other agribusinesses, as well as producers. His responsibilities will include Business Solutions Consulting, along with subsidiaries Ag States Group, Country Hedging Inc., and Cofina Financial. Johnson was named vice president of Business Solutions Consulting in 2008 and previously held the position of vice president, Member Services since 2005. Prior to joining CHS, Johnson managed cooperatives in North Dakota and Minnesota. He has a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from North Dakota State University.
Pat Kluempke, executive vice president, Corporate Services. Kluempke, 62, will be responsible for Corporate Services including human resources, information technology, marketing communications, community stewardship, governmental affairs, business risk control, building and office services, along with corporate board coordination, corporate planning and international relations. Kluempke joined the company in 1982 and began his career in grain trading and export marketing. He has held a variety of positions in operations and corporate functions. He holds a bachelor's degree from St. Cloud (Minn.) State University.
David Kastelic, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Kastelic, 55, will assume responsibility for finance, accounting and risk management. Most recently he served as senior vice president and general counsel for CHS. He joined the CHS Legal Department in 1993 after 13 years in private practice and was named to his current position in 2000. He received a bachelor's of science degree from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Lisa Zell, senior vice president and general counsel. Zell, 42, will serve as the company's senior vice president and general counsel. She joined CHS in 1999 as a corporate attorney and has served as senior attorney since 2003. She has served as principal legal counsel since 2008. Zell received a bachelor's degree from St. Cloud (Minn.) State University and a law degree from Drake University.
CHS Inc. (www.chsinc.com) is a diversified energy, grains and foods company committed to providing the essential resources that enrich lives around the world. A Fortune 100 company, CHS is owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives, along with thousands of preferred stockholders across the United States. CHS supplies energy, crop nutrients, livestock feed, grain, food and food ingredients, along with business solutions, including insurance, financial and risk management services. The company operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes Cenex® brand refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products. CHS is listed on the NASDAQ at CHSCP.
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligations to publicly revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances. For a discussion of additional factors that may materially affect management's estimates and predictions, please view the CHS Inc. annual report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended Aug. 31, 2010, which can be found on the Securities and Exchange Commission web site (www.sec.gov) or on the CHS web site www.chsinc.com.
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