MAUMEE, OHIO, U.S. — The Andersons, Inc. announced on March 5 that Michael Irmen, president of the Ethanol Group, will retire in July. James Pirolli, vice-president and general manager of the Ethanol Group, will assume the role of group president on April 1. Irmen will provide transition assistance until his retirement and oversee the start-up of the company's new ethanol joint venture, Element, LLC.

“We are extremely grateful for all the work Mike has done to grow our ethanol business,” said Patrick E. Bowe, president and chief executive officer of The Andersons. “Through his leadership, the Ethanol Group has achieved record performance in productivity, expanded its portfolio of high-value coproducts and entered into new markets.”

Irmen began his career with The Andersons in 1977 as a grain trainee in Champaign, Illinois, U.S. He went on to work in a variety of merchandising and risk management positions within the former Grain Group. He was one of the first leaders of the ethanol team when it was formed in 2005. He was named vice-president of the Ethanol Group in 2012 and president in 2016.

Pirolli joined The Andersons in 2017 after serving as vice-president of fuels for Kum & Go convenience stores in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. While at Kum & Go, he led the development of one of the nation’s largest retail portfolios of biofuel blends that included E85, E15 and biodiesel.

Pirolli also spent 13 years at ADM, holding various leadership roles in the company’s grain, ethanol, and oilseed processing divisions.

“Jim has extensive experience in the biofuels industry and has been an excellent addition to The Andersons,” Bowe said. “I am excited for him to join my leadership team and to continue serving the company as Ethanol Group president.”