LOWELL, MICHIGAN, US — Patrick Doyle has been promoted to president of King Milling Co., the company announced on Oct. 15.

Doyle has served as executive vice president of the multigenerational family-owned business since 2022, focusing on the company’s management, sales and financial operations. He succeeds Jim Doyle, his first cousin once removed, who will now serve as executive vice chairman. Patrick Doyle’s father, Brian, is chairman of King Milling and served as company president from 1995-2022.

The leadership changes were announced during the October board meeting of the company, which mills various types of wheat into a wide range of flours for bakers and food processors.

“I am honored to serve as president of King Milling and am grateful to all those who came before me and laid a successful and sustainable foundation for our company,” Patrick Doyle said. “We have an incredible leadership team serving with a wonderful team of committed employees. We have fantastic partnerships with farmers and grain companies who work hard to supply us with high-quality wheat — no matter how tough the operating environment may be. Through our team and these partnerships, we have been able to provide high-quality flour to our dedicated customers for well over a century. It is a privilege to work with such a great team, and we can look ahead to a very bright future.”

A fifth-generation leader at King Milling, Patrick Doyle has served in various roles since joining the company in 2003, starting as a sanitation worker while in high school. He continued to serve in frontline roles while attending Michigan State University (MSU).

After graduating from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in food industry management, he served as a full-time project manager focused on wheat purchasing and farm relationships, sales and human resources. He continued to serve as a project manager each summer while pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at Kansas State University.

To broaden his knowledge and experience after receiving a master’s degree, Doyle worked as a commodity merchandiser for Consolidated Grain and Barge in Mount Vernon, Indiana, US. He rejoined the King Milling team in September 2011 as assistant vice president to help the company plan for a mill expansion. In this role, he added financial reporting and general management to his human resources, purchasing and sales responsibilities. He later was promoted to vice president and transitioned out of human resources, focusing on flour sales and baking relationships.

Family-owned and operated since 1890 along the Flat River in Lowell, King Milling produces hard and soft wheat products for customers who, in turn, make food products for some of the nation’s most popular consumer brands and restaurant chains. King Milling is the oldest continually operating business in Kent County and one of only six remaining flour mills in the state.