Paul T. Maass has been named chief executive officer (CEO) of The Scoular Co., effective Aug. 22.
Maass will be based at Scoular headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., and will be responsible for global strategic leadership at the company.
A graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural business, Maass joined ConAgra in 1988. He headed the company’s feed ingredient business for several years and was president of ConAgra Mills from 2003 until 2010. In 2011 he was named president of the Commercial Foods business of ConAgra, a position he held until leaving the company in May 2015. His responsibilities in Commercial Foods included oversight of ConAgra’s Lamb Weston potato business. Active in industry affairs, Maass is a past chairman of the North American Millers’ Association (NAMA).
In April, Scoular said it was launching a search for a new CEO to succeed Charles Elsea. Elsea, who has been with Scoular for 35 years, had been CEO since 2009, but, after taking a sabbatical, returned to the company as a senior vice-president.
“We are pleased to have found a seasoned, accomplished agribusiness executive like Paul,” said David Faith, chairman of Scoular. “His diverse background and solid experience are an excellent fit for Scoular, from commodity merchandising and logistics to commercial food ingredient processing, sales and p.&l. management. Further, his proven experience in successful corporate strategy will be a great asset to Scoular as we continue to pursue growth opportunities, domestically and internationally.”
A diversified business with roots dating back to the 1890s, Scoular operates more than 100 independent business units targeting supply chain solutions for users and suppliers of grain, feed ingredients, and globally. The company’s principal activities revolve around the buying, selling, storing, handling and processing of grain and ingredients as well as managing transportation and logistics worldwide. Scoular operates 120 offices and grain handling facilities in North America, South America and Asia, has more than 1,200 employees and about $5 billion in annual sales. In addition to Omaha, the company has corporate offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., and Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
The company ranked number 66 in the Forbes 2015 top 100 private companies in the United States.
