The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., Marysville, Ohio, announces that Stephen Johnson, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has been named to its board of directors, effective immediately. He began working at EPA in 1979 and held multiple roles during his tenure until being named administrator by President George W. Bush in 2005. He was the first career employee and scientist to lead EPA.
“We are committed to a culture of regulatory compliance and to protecting our environment, and Steve’s appointment to our board reinforces that point,” said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and CEO. “We have known Steve for years and deeply respect his technical expertise and understanding of key regulatory and environmental issues. I have total confidence in saying that Steve’s appointment to our board will make us a better company.”
In addition to his years with EPA, Johnson held a number of positions with various laboratory and biotechnology companies. He received a B.A. in biology from Taylor University and a master’s degree in pathology from George Washington University. He has been awarded honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Taylor University and Wesleyan University.
Johnson fills the term formerly held by Mark Baker, who recently resigned from the board. The term expires in 2013.
Rentech Inc., Los Angeles, reports that retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark has joined the company’s board of directors. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general and held the position of NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Commander in Chief of the U.S.-European Command.
Clark, a former U.S. presidential candidate, also served a stint on the board of CVR Energy Inc., Sugar Land, Texas (GM Oct. 2, 2006), which owns a nitrogen plant in Coffeyville, Kan.
Rentech owns Rentech Energy Midwest Corp., which owns a nitrogen plant in East Dubuque, Ill.
“I am committed to helping our nation find alternatives to our reliance on imported oil in an environmentally responsible way. I am excited to join Rentech’s board because its technologies and fuels present the opportunity to lessen our dependence on foreign oil while creating green jobs here at home,” said Clark.
He serves as chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic consulting firm he founded in March 2003, and as chairman of investment bank Rodman & Renshaw. Clark has focused much of his time and efforts in recent years on the energy business, and he has served as an advisor to and a board member of numerous domestic and international energy companies, including Bankers Petroleum Ltd., a Canadian-based oil and gas exploration and production company, and Juhl Energy Inc., a wind energy provider. Clark also serves as chairman of Clean Terra, a firm he co-founded that is dedicated to financing, developing, and managing scalable clean energy/fuel projects and implementing smart Clean Technology public policy. He is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative’s Energy & Climate Change Advisory Board and the American Council on Renewable Energy’s Advisory Board.
CHS Inc. has elected six agricultural producers to the cooperative’s board of directors. Elected for a three-year term was C.J. Blew, a Castleton, Kan., farmer who is currently chairman of the Mid Kansas Co-op board of directors. He assumes a position on the 17-member board, which was recently shifted from Minnesota to the company’s south central U.S. region. Re-elected for three-year terms were Michael Toelle, Browns Valley, Minn.; Dennis Carlson, Mandan, N.D.; Randy Knecht, Houghton, S.D.; Robert Bass, Reedsburg, Wis.; and Steve Riegel, Ford, Kan. The elections took place Dec. 3 at the CHS annual meeting held in Minneapolis.
Following the annual meeting, the 17 directors re-elected Toelle to his ninth one-year term as chairman of the board for the nation’s largest cooperative. Other officers elected include Bass as first vice chairman; Jerry Hasnedl of St. Hilaire, Minn., as secretary-treasurer; Curt Eischens of Minneota, Minn., as second vice chairman; and Knecht as assistant secretary-treasurer.
MBAC Fertilizer Corp., Toronto, has named Roberto Busato Belger as senior vice president and chief operating officer, effective Dec. 16, 2010. He brings over 32 years of experience in fertilizer operations and mine management, primarily in Brazil. He is a mining engineer, and most recently was COO of Fosfertil Fertilizantes SA. He has held various roles within the Bunge Group, including the position of CEO of Bunge’s fertilizer business in Argentina.
MBAC is focused on becoming a significant integrated producer of phosphate and potash fertilizers in the Brazilian and Latin American markets. In October 2008, MBAC acquired Itafós Mineração Ltda, which consisted of a phosphate mine, a mill, and plant and related infrastructure, all located in central Brazil. MBAC’s exploration portfolio includes a number of additional phosphate and potash projects, also located in Brazil.