AgGateway, Arlington, Va., announced on Oct. 28 that President and CEO Wendy Smith is retiring effective Dec. 31, 2021, and that current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Brent Kemp will move into the role of AgGateway President and CEO beginning Jan. 1, 2022.
Smith has served as President since 2015, and has been involved with AgGateway since its founding in 2005. The company said during her tenure AgGateway has expanded its areas of involvement and made significant strides in the areas of interoperability, sustainability, and traceability. In 2020 Smith oversaw AgGateway’s transition to a global organization, with regional groups in North America, Latin America, and Europe.
Kemp joined AgGateway in 2014 as EVP and COO, and last year also took on the role of North America Regional Director. Prior to joining AgGateway, he served as Manager of Process Development with Southern States Cooperative, where he implemented electronic messaging for multiple business lines across a 15-state geography to achieve process automation.
Kemp was active in AgGateway while at Southern States, serving in multiple leadership roles and receiving the AgGateway Ron Storms Leadership Award in 2010.
AgGateway is a global, non-profit organization whose members develop standards and other resources so that companies can rapidly access information. Its 200 member companies include ag retailers, distributors, manufacturers (equipment, seed, crop nutrition, crop protection, etc.), grain and feed companies, precision ag providers, specialty chemical manufacturers, and software and data service providers.