Agrotain International has announced the appointment of Luciano Fraske Lucero as agricultural regional manager in South America. He will be based in Rosario, Sante Fe, Argentina, and will help manage most of the Spanish-speaking countries in South America. He previously worked for Adubos Trevo and Yara, and holds an MBA and a B.Sc. degree in agronomy.
Dennis Olson, 65, died Oct. 22 after a long battle with colon cancer. A veteran of over 40 years in the fertilizer industry, he had been vice president of marketing for Jim Hicks & Co since 1995; he also managed the company’s marketing in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to that, Olson worked for UAP, Martrex, Swift, and J.R. Simplot Co. Olson was a 1963 graduate of North Dakota State University.
Dakota Gasification announced that it has promoted Tara Vesey to the position of sales manager for fertilizer products. Vesey is based in Bismarck, N.D., and reports to Steven Liebelt, marketing and general sales manager. Vesey can be reached at 701-221-4410, or by email attvesey@bepc.com. Dakota Gasification’s fertilizer portfolio includes anhydrous ammonia and ammonium sulfate produced at the company’s Great Plains Synfuels Plant in Beulah, N.D. Dakota Gasification’s parent company is Basin Electric Power Cooperative in Bismarck.
While CHS Inc. recently sold all of its remaining stake in CF Industries Holdings Inc. (GM Oct. 15, p. 11), CHS President and CEO John Johnson continues to sit on the CF board of directors, and CF remains as a supplier to CHS.
UAP Holding Corp. has named Jeffrey Rutherford to the position of CFO, effective Oct. 15. He will oversee the company’s accounting, internal and external financial reporting, financial planning, and treasury operations. Rutherford, who most recently served as president and CEO of Lesco Inc., now a part of John Deere & Co., previously served as their CFO from 2002 to 2005. Prior to joining Lesco, Rutherford spent four years with OfficeMax Inc. as senior vice president, treasurer, and CFO. He began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co.
Rutherford succeeds Dave Bullock, who is moving to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Bullock has been the CFO since 2003 and will now manage the operations of the company, including retail operations, logistics, business analytics, procurement, and information technology.