ABERDEEN, SOUTH DAKOTA, US — Agtegra Cooperative will be searching for a new chief executive officer after Chris Pearson notified the board of directors that he will be stepping down July 1, the company has announced.
Pearson has been with the cooperative since 2013 and served as CEO for five years. He was instrumental in the formation of Agtegra in 2018, which has grown to be the nation’s largest locally owned agricultural supply cooperative with 74 locations. Agtegra has 120.17 million bushels of licensed grain storage capacity, the 12th-largest in North America, according to Sosland Publishing’s 2022 Grain & Milling Annual.
“It has been an honor to play a key role in the formation of Agtegra four and a half years ago and to serve as its first CEO,” Pearson said. “The farmers of North and South Dakota own a world class company and should be proud of its team and its impact on agriculture, farms, and communities both locally and nationally.”
The Agtegra board has appointed a search committee and started the process of a search to fill the CEO position. Pearson will be working with the board and staff over the next four months to ensure a smooth transition.
Rick Osterday, board chairman of Agtegra, thanked Pearson for his contributions to the cooperative’s success.
“During his tenure, he made many key strategic decisions, created a singular culture, assembled an industry leading leadership team, implemented marketing plans leading to significant market share growth, and executed significant plans to ensure that Agtegra is well positioned for the future,” he said.
