Yara North America has added three regional managers to its sales team, effective October 16, 2008. The new members will be responsible for developing customer relationships within three distinct geographical areas in connection to the sales of urea, UAN, and ammonia originating from the Yara Belle Plaine plant in Saskatchewan and other distribution points in North America.
Brian Kenyon, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, will be serving the Prairie Provinces of Canada. Brian joins Yara with 20 years of experience in the Canadian grain and fertilizer market.
Jim McLean, located in Minneapolis, Minn., will be serving the North Central U.S., including WI, MN, and Eastern ND. Jim has 32 years of experience in the grain and fertilizer industry.
Lea Ann Flaagan, located in Fargo, N.D., will be serving the U.S. Northern Plains states of Western N.D., S.D., Mont., and Wyo. Lea Ann brings 14 years of experience in the fertilizer industry to her new position.
Kathy Jordison continues in her role as vice president, marketing and transportation, for Yara Belle Plaine. Kathy is responsible for all marketing programs, including pricing and transportation. She also leads the Yara Belle Plaine Customer Service Group and serves on the company management team office in Regina.
Gary Vogen is Yara North America’s vice president for the northern region.
Rentech Inc. has named Dan Cohrs as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Oct. 22, 2008. Doug Miller, who served as interim CFO during the past few months, will continue his duties as chief operating officer. Cohrs has more than 20 years of experience in corporate finance, strategy and planning, and mergers and acquisitions. He has held senior positions in companies ranging from start-ups to industry-leading multinationals such as Marriott, Northwest Airlines, GTE, and Global Crossing. He has been a strategy consultant with Marakon Associates and a faculty member at Cornell University and Harvard University, teaching courses in corporate governance and finance. He earned a B.S. degree in engineering from Michigan State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in finance, economics, and public policy from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. Most recently he has been an independent consultant and a founder and member of the board of Agency 3.0, an advertising agency formed as a joint venture with the William Morris Agency.
Cohrs’s three-year employment agreement with Rentech includes the granting of 325,000 restricted stock units that are to be settled in shares of common stock of Rentech, as well as 110,500 long-term incentive performance share awards.
Athabasca Potash Inc. said Oct. 17 that Kenneth MacNeill has stepped down as chairman and director. He will remain as an advisor to Athabasca as it expands its board and attracts additional members to the senior management team necessary to support the further development of the Burr project.
Athabasca has appointed Robert Connochie as a director. He has served as a past director and chairman of a number of potash and fertilizer industry associations and mining companies. He is a past chairman of Canpotex Ltd., the Potash and Phosphate Institute, and the Saskatchewan Potash Producers Association. He also served as a director and interim chairman and CEO of Asia Pacific Potash Inc. From 1987 to 1993, Connochie was chairman and president of Potash Co. of America (PCA), which produced potash from two mines, one in Saskatchewan and one in New Brunswick, prior to being acquired by PotashCorp.
Athabasca has also named John King Burns, one of the company’s existing directors, as lead director and interim chairman. James Gardiner, one of the existing directors, has also been appointed as the chair of Athabasca’s nominating committee, which is conducting a search for a new non-interim chairman.
Athabasca is a Canadian-based corporation and was founded with a goal of establishing itself as a pre-eminent Canadian public company engaged solely in potash exploration and development.