H.J. Baker & Bro. Inc. has appointed Arthur (Art) Bentley to the new position of director, business development. He will work on strategic initiatives designed to drive the company’s customer-focused profitable growth. He joins H.J. Baker with 13 years of corporate finance experience in investment banking, commercial banking, and commercial lending. Most recently, he spent seven years at GE Commercial Finance, where he executed mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, as well as corporate lending with a focus on corporate and energy financing opportunities. Prior to that, he held merger and acquisition advisory roles with The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and WestMerchant Bank.
“Art’s expertise and practice will be integral as he helps develop and lead new growth strategies that take advantage of opportunities in our core business and related agricultural proficiencies,” said Christopher V. B. Smith, H.J. Baker president and CEO. “He is exactly the type of team player we were looking for as we proactively examine new growth options.”
“I am very pleased to be joining an industry leader such as H.J. Baker,” said Bentley. “My goal is to create the best deals possible across all of our product lines. I know that we will be continuing to build on their reputation of more than 150 years of superior products and commitment to customer service. As we work to expand H.J. Baker, maintaining that reputation will be paramount.”
Bentley has a B.A. from Niagara University in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and an M.B.A from Syracuse University. He served for more than 11 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, ultimately earning the rank of Captain.
CF Industries Holdings Inc. said Sept. 1 that Christopher Bohn has joined the company as director of corporate planning. He succeeds Steve Chase, who will retire later this year. Bohn was previously chief financial officer for Hess Printing Solutions, a privately-held producer of catalogs, books, magazines, and directories. Prior to joining Hess, he was vice president of global financial planning and analysis for Merisant Worldwide Inc. Bohn also previously held financial analysis and strategy positions with Searle Pharmaceuticals and the 3M Corporation.
Bohn earned his B.S. in Finance from Indiana University and his M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Jerry Lippert has joined Inter-Chem as a regional sales manager responsible for Missouri, Illinois, and Ohio. He has previously served in various operations, sales, and management roles with Agrico Chemical Co. and Freeport Sulphur Co. He most recently served as president of The Marble Quarry Inc. in Mandeville, La.
Lippert will be based in Inter-Chem’s Tulsa, Okla., office and may be reached at 918-496-7711 or by email at jlippert@ictulsa.com.
LebanonTurf has named Lori Zimmerman marketing manager for the company’s professional line of biological plant nutrition turf products. She will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing programs and promotions, as well as pricing and products within LebanonTurf’s biological plant nutrition segment. Prior to returning to Lebanon Seaboard, where she was senior product manager and retail marketing manager for nine years, Zimmerman was director of marketing at Oldcastle Lawn & Garden. Lebanon Seaboard is the parent company of LebanonTurf.
Zimmerman is the former president of the Wild Bird Feeding Industry and served on the board of the organization, which is dedicated to enhancing consumers’ backyard bird watching and feeding experiences.
Five FS member cooperatives were recognized by Growmark Inc. for business performance improvement during the cooperative’s recent annual meeting. The cooperative with the highest degree of improvement was Ag View FS Inc., Princeton, Ill. Mark Orr is the manager and Ron Pierson is president.
Second was New Alliance FS, Inc., Oskaloosa, Iowa. Bob Farber is the general manager and Scott Etcher the president.
Third was Lincoln Land FS Inc., Jacksonville, Ill. Keith Hufendick is the manager, and Joe Pickrell is the president.
There was a tie for fourth place. At Stephenson Service Company, Freeport, Ill., Jay Kempel is the manager and Keith Meier is the president. Also earning fourth place is West Central FS Inc., Macomb, Ill. Barry Schmidt is the manager, and Duane Deitrich is the president.
For the second year in a row, Agriland FS Inc. General Manager John Knobloch received Growmark Inc.’s Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Management. Agriland is based in Winterset, Iowa. The award is the highest honor Growmark bestows to member cooperative managers who have achieved outstanding results in the following management categories: percent or dollars of sales increase, credit administration, operating expense efficiency, and return on invested capital.
The award is given to general managers whose performance has placed them within the top 20 percent of Growmark member cooperatives in each of the key management areas.
Marsulex Inc. has announced the appointment of Randy Hull to the newly-created position of senior vice president, development. Marsulex said he has extensive experience in the petroleum, energy, and chemical industries, which are key targets for future growth of Marsulex’s industrial services. He worked for 16 years with BOC/Linde Gases, an international industrial gases company, in a variety of increasingly senior positions focused on business development, sales, and marketing, as well as the development and commercialization of new process technologies in the petroleum refining industry. Most recently, Hull was director, global refining/energy services business development, at Praxair Inc., the largest industrial gases company in North and South America. He has also held positions at a management consulting firm and as president/COO of a renewable energy company. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from LeHigh University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.