The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) has announced the election of Robert Jornayvaz III, founder and managing partner of The Intrepid Companies, to serve a two-year term as chairman of TFI’s board of directors. In addition, the board tapped James Prokopanko, president and CEO of The Mosaic Co., to serve a two-year term as vice chairman. The gavel was passed to Jornayvaz by outgoing chairman and Terra Industries Inc. President and CEO Michael Bennett at a Feb. 9 board meeting held in conjunction with TFI’s 2010 Fertilizer Marketing Business Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
The following new TFI board members were elected: Matt Carstens, United Suppliers Inc.; Daryl Gates, Morral Companies LLC; Dirk Lohry, Nutra-Flo Co.; Billy Joe Miles, Miles Farm Supply LLC; and Michael Stegmann, Lange-Stegmann Fertilizer Co.
These new board members join Farouk Chaouni, Agrifos Fertilizer LP; Michael Wilson, Agrium Inc.; Donald Ford, American Plant Food Corp.; Nicholas Adamchak, Ameropa North America Inc.; Vladimir Nikolaenko, Belarusian Potash Co.; Robert Brown, Calamco; Stephen Wilson, CF Industries; Cheryl Schmura, CHS Inc.; Stanley Riemann, CVR Energy Inc.; Steven Liebelt, Dakota Gasification; William Barnett, Dyno Nobel; David Benefield, Frit Industries; Brian Harlander, Gavilon Fertilizer; Ronald Bryan, Great Salt Lake Minerals; James Spradlin, GROWMARK; Qamar Bhatia, Honeywell Resins and Chemicals; Stephen Stallons, ICEC; George Porvaznik, Jeffersonville River Terminal; Melih Keyman, Keytrade AG; Carroll Kirby, Kirby Agri; Steve Packebush, Koch Fertilizer; Robert Jones, Mississippi Phosphates; William Doyle, PotashCorp; John Ambrose, Rentech Energy Midwest; William Whitacre, Simplot; Denny Addis, The Andersons Inc.; Ronald Stanton, Transammonia Inc.; Gene Gauss, Wilbur-Ellis; Billy Willard, Willard Agri-Service of Frederick; and Pete Valesares, Yara North America Inc., as members of TFI’s board.
BHP Billiton Board Chairman and Non-executive Director Don Argus will retire March 30, 2010. Non-executive Director Jac Nasser will assume the role of chairman from that date. Nasser will discontinue executive management responsibilities with One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JP Morgan, and continue in an advisory and non-executive role. He will also remain a director of British Sky Broadcasting Plc and a member of the International Advisory Council of Allianz AG.
LSB Industries Inc. said on Feb. 22 that it increased the size of its board of directors to 14 and has elected Gail Lapidus to serve in the newly created vacancy in the class of directors to stand for re-election in 2012. She will be an independent director.
Lapidus is the executive director and CEO of Family & Children’s Services, a premiere human services provider in the Tulsa, Okla., metro area. She has been with the agency for 35 years and has served as its executive director since 1986. Lapidus received her undergraduate degree and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma.