Miller Magazine Issue: 123 March 2020

32 NEWS MILLER / MARCH 2020 Kice strengthens its team with new vice president of sales Ardent Mills to acquire Andean Naturals’ quinoa operations Kice announced the appointment of Marshall Bird as Vice President of Sales. In this role, Bird will assume all sa- les responsibilities related to managing the growth of Ki- ce’s extensive line of product and service offerings. “Kice Industries is a multi-industry industrial air system soluti- on-based company with world-class people and capabilities,” said Bird. “I am excited to join such an impressive team and focus on un- derstanding and meeting our customers’ nee- ds, environmental stewardship, and ultimately creating value for society.” Bird is a graduate of Kansas State Univer- sity. Bird joins Kice from working in various Koch Industries companies. He brings 30 ye- ars of experience in various manufacturing in- dustries serving in numerous leadership roles in sales, supply and exchange, global supply chain, global transportation and logistics, and global commercial compliance. “We are excited about Marshall joining us, said Drew Kice, President & CEO, Kice Industries. Our people have worked extremely hard over the last several years to prepare ourselves for the op- portunities in front of us. We’re ready to get out and tell our story. Marshall brings 30 years of busi- ness development experience to our team and will do a fantastic job leading these efforts.” Founded in 1946, Kice Industries is a fourth generation, family-owned business based in Wichita, Kan. with a team of approximately 300 employees. Kice Industries designs comp- lete industrial air systems and builds most of the equipment specified for these systems. Applica- tions include pneumatic conveying, dust control and aspiration. A multi-industry company, Kice Industries serves the grain, plastics, food, feed, wood and minerals industries. Ardent Mills, the premier flour-milling and ingredient company, announced their intention to further invest in specialty grain capabilities and The Annex by Ardent Mills (The Annex) by purchasing Andean Naturals, Inc.’s qui- noa sourcing, cleaning and packaging operation in Yuba City, California. “Our industry is rapidly changing as consumers’ appe- tite for variety in their diets continues to increase,” said Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills. “As a result, we are ma- king proactive investments in The Annex to meet consu- mer demand for high-quality, nutritious grains and other sources of plant-based ingredients. With this acquisition, we will be able to offer a complete solution for quinoa and other gluten-free ingredients.” Yuba City will be Ardent Mills’ first gluten-free sourcing and cleaning facility with the ability to expand to additio- nal grains. This important milestone for The Annex comes shortly after the acquisition of an organic grain elevator in Klamath Falls, Oregon, the Colorado Quinoa exclusivity partnership, as well as the Denver RiNo investment to cle- an and pack specialty grains. “In The Annex, we are proud to offer ingredients from passionate, knowledgeable farmers, and this purchase continues that tradition,” added Shrene White, General Manager of The Annex. “This company is a longtime le- ader in quinoa sourcing, cleaning and packing in North America with extensive industry knowledge, grower rela- tionships and a fantastic reputation. This acquisition furt- her supports our commitment to what’s next in grain and plant-based innovation.” Andean Naturals is the leading importer/wholesaler of organic, fair trade quinoa. It is a B Corp “Best for the Wor- ld” company and a champion of the traditional quinoa growers of Bolivia’s Altiplano. Marshall Bird