Legumex Walker Subsidiary Pacific Coast Canola Announces Two Key Hires
Vice Presidents for Sales & Marketing, Sourcing Join Management Team
WARDEN, WA, Feb. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - Pacific Coast Canola, a subsidiary of Legumex Walker Inc. (TSX: LWP), announced today the appointment of two members of its senior management team. R. Bruce McTavish has been named vice president of sales and marketing and Stephen L. Starr has joined the company as vice president of seed procurement. McTavish will join the company on February 1st and Starr assumed his duties with the company at the end of 2011.
"Steve and Bruce are both tremendously talented and experienced professionals who understand the canola industry and its market," said Kevin Raymond, Pacific Coast Canola vice president and general manager. "Steve will focus on working with elevators and growers, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, to obtain canola seed for our plant in the quantities we need and at competitive prices. Bruce, in turn, will oversee the sale and marketing of our products - canola oil and meal - to buyers in North America and beyond. We're delighted to welcome them to the company."
Joel Horn, president and CEO of Pacific Coast Canola and of parent company Legumex Walker, said the hiring of McTavish and Starr represent two important milestones for the company.
"Bruce and Steve really extend the PCC corporate presence 'outside the fence' and are very important additions to our team," said Horn. "They're going to be reaching out to our friends and neighbors in the Pacific Northwest and further abroad to source our seed and sell our products. We think that they'll find the same warm welcome we've consistently received in Warden and throughout the region."
Horn noted the Pacific Coast Canola construction project remains on time and budget. The company expects to complete foundation work and commence above-ground construction this month.
"Pacific Coast Canola is the right facility in the right place at the right time," said McTavish. "We're building the first commercial-scale crusher west of the Rockies at a time when both canola oil and meal consumption is growing strongly. I'm delighted to be joining a skilled and accomplished team and I'm looking forward to contributing to its success."
McTavish previously was employed by Viterra Canola Processing where he served as director of sales and marketing and also has held sales and marketing positions at BASF Canada, Wyeth-Cyanamid Crop Protection, American Cyanamid and Pickseed Canada. He has diplomas in agriculture from the University of Manitoba and in Business Administration (marketing) from Red River Community College.
"This is an exciting project and I'm pleased to be a part of it," said Starr. "Our ability to source canola is a critical part of our business plan and we're hoping to do as much of it as possible right here in the Pacific Northwest. As I've begun meeting with growers and elevator operators I've seen strong interest in adding canola to crop rotations. We plan to build on that interest to substantially increase canola production in the region."
Prior to joining Pacific Coast Canola, Starr was general manager of Inland Empire Oilseeds, a canola crushing and biodiesel refining facility located in Odessa, WA. He also has held operations and managerial positions with Great Western Malting Company and Froedtert Malt Corporation. Starr has a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture from Washington State University.
About Pacific Coast Canola
Pacific Coast Canola is constructing its first canola crushing plant in Warden, WA. Designed to process 1,100 metric tonnes (MT) of canola per day, the Warden facility will produce expeller-pressed canola oil and high-quality canola meal. The plant will be the first commercial-scale canola crushing operation west of the Rockies and is well-positioned to supply the expanding demand for canola products on the west coast of the United States. Warden is in the heart of a multi-state region that is ideal for canola production and well-served by rail and surface transportation routes.
The facility is expected to be operational by early 2013 and is being constructed by Industrial Construction Group of Portland, OR. Total cost of the plant is expected be approximately $110 million (USD). The plant has a design output capacity of 142,500 MT of canola oil and 227,000 MT of canola meal per year. Pacific Coast Canola is 85 percent owned by Legumex Walker and 15 percent by Glencore Grain Investment LLC.
About Legumex Walker Inc.
Legumex Walker is a growth-oriented processor and merchandiser of pulses (lentils, peas, beans and chickpeas), other special crops and canola products. The Company is one of the largest processors of pulses and other special crops in Canada, with nine processing facilities strategically located in key growing regions throughout Saskatchewan and Manitoba, a global sales, logistics and distribution platform and access to multimodal transportation capabilities. In addition the Company has an 85 percent interest in Pacific Coast Canola, LLC, a company that is constructing a canola oilseed processing facility in Washington State.
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to statements relating to the construction, operation and staffing of the Company's majority-owned canola crushing facility. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those set out in the final prospectus of Legumex Walker dated June 30, 2011 available on sedar.com. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law.
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