Gavilon LLC said Jan. 3 that it had completed the acquisition of the DeBruce Companies (GM Oct. 25, 2010), expanding the company’s agricultural assets in the U.S. and Mexico.
Paul DeBruce will continue serving as CEO of the DeBruce Companies, Kansas City, Mo., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gavilon, and will join Gavilon’s board of directors. Larry Kittoe will also continue serving as chief operating officer of DeBruce. Upon the closing, DeBruce and Kittoe were also appointed executive vice presidents of Gavilon.
Gavilon said the addition of the DeBruce grain, ingredient, and fertilizer facilities and distribution network will complement Gavilon’s North American footprint and position the company to meet the rapidly growing demand for agricultural resources worldwide.
DeBruce Fertilizer and DeBruce Ag Service provide fertilizer and crop protection products and services. According to its Web site, DeBruce has fertilizer terminals at Creston (24,000 st) and Shenandoah, Iowa; Albany, LaSalle, and Rock Island, Ill.; Wichita, Kan.; Nebraska City, Neb. (40,000 st); Catoosa, Okla. (40,000 st); Amarillo and Tulia, Texas; and Minneapolis, Minn. Retail centers are listed at Benton, Creston, and Shenandoah, Iowa; New Carlisle, Ind.; Nebraska City, Neb.; and Hale Center, Lockney, and Farwell, Texas.
DeBruce also trades feed ingredients, operates a bean crushing plant, and offers freight brokerage services through DeBruce Feed Ingredients Inc., Creston Bean Processing LLC, and DeBruce Transportation, respectively. DeBruce is the fourth-largest privately held company in Kansas City, and employs more than 550 employees nationwide.
Recognized as one of the premier cross-country truck trading companies in the U.S., DeBruce Grain operates 23 high-speed grain-handling facilities located throughout the Midwest.
The transaction increases Gavilon’s licensed grain storage capacity to more than 300 million bushels, making it the third-largest grain storage network in North America.
Gavilon LLC, a unit of The Gavilon Group LLC, Omaha, Neb., is a leading commodity management firm, connecting producers and consumers of feed, food, and fuel through its global supply chain network. Its history dates to 1874, when Peavey Co. built its first grain facility. In 1982 Peavey was acquired by ConAgra Foods, Inc., and later became part of ConAgra Trade Group. In 2008, a group of investors formed Gavilon and acquired the Trade Group, enabling the newly formed, privately held company to focus on growing its commodity business. Today, Gavilon leverages its strategic partnerships and more than 300 facilities and offices worldwide to link agriculture, fertilizer, and energy supply with increasing global demand. The company provides origination, storage and handling, transportation and logistics, marketing and distribution, and risk management services to tens of thousands of customers each year, and employs more than 1,700 people around the world.