WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA —Ag Growth International Inc. (AGI) announced Dec. 2 the retirement of Gary Anderson from its board of directors.

Anderson is a co-founder of AGI and was its chief operating officer from inception in 1996 to December 2010 at which time he became chief executive officer until he retired at the end of 2015. Anderson has been a director since 2006 and served as a member of the Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability Committee. 

Tim Close, president and CEO of AGI, recognized Anderson’s significant contribution and the impact of his legacy at AGI.

“As one of the founders of AGI, Gary has been instrumental in forming the vision for the company,” Close said. “We continue to build on that original vision throughout our business today. Everyone in AGI has benefited from Gary’s advice and passion for the business and that passion continues to thrive across the company. I join all of AGI in thanking Gary for his immense contributions over the past 24 years and wishing him all the best in his retirement.”

Anderson entered the agricultural equipment manufacturing sector in 1978 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. He served eight years on the executive of Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC), including board chair, and recently was the inaugural chair of AMC’s Manitoba Provincial Advisory Committee. He also was a director on the inaugural board of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society Foundation, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US. In August 2017, Anderson was named to the board of directors of Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd., a TSX Venture Exchange listed ag tech company, and in 2018 was named president. In March 2019, Anderson was inducted into the Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Hall of Fame.

Bill Lambert, chairman of the AGI board, addressed the scope of Anderson’s career to date.

“Over the past 24 years, Gary has adapted quickly to his changing roles,” Lambert said. “Starting as a co-founder of a $2 million revenue entrepreneurial startup, through his role as COO of a successful income trust, then as CEO through a period of transformational growth for the company, and latterly as a valued board member of a $1 billion revenue international business. His temperament and talents, as well as his devotion to AGI, have been instrumental in building this significant Canadian success story. I join the rest of the AGI board in gratitude for the opportunity to be Gary’s colleague during this adventure.”