Kelly most recently was vice-president at Rembrandt Foods, an egg producer based in Spirit Lake, Iowa, U.S. He began his career with The Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., in 1980 and was with Michael Foods, another egg producer, from 1986 to 1998. He joined The Pillsbury Co. in that year then General Mills with the latter’s 2001 acquisition of Pillsbury. At General Mills Kelly was vice-president of wholesale bakery and bakery flour.
A native of rural Iowa Kelly holds degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota.
At LifeLine, Kelly succeeds Robin Venn as CEO, who had led the company since June 2011.
“LifeLine Foods has grown to be a leader in the food ingredient production industry, and to continue this growth we sought out talented candidates from across the country,” said John Howard, Lifeline Foods board chairman. “We’re confident that Kevin Kelly has the experience necessary to build on the stable foundation in place.”
LifeLine Foods engaged Kincannon & Reed to help with the CEO search.
Based in St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S., LifeLine specializes in milled corn products. In operation since 2001, the company is owned by growers in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa as well as by ICM, Inc., an ethanol engineering firm.
