Indianapolis, IN (January 10, 2024) – Indiana-based agriculture & energy cooperatives Ceres Solutions Cooperative, Inc. andCo-Alliance Cooperative, Inc., announce today that both boards and memberships have overwhelmingly approved the merger. Theeffective date of the merger is March 1, 2024, and the company will be named Keystone Cooperative, Inc. This merger creates afarmer-owned cooperative focused on delivering an unmatched customer experience, with the resources needed to support farmer-owners as they grow into the future.
Keystone Cooperative will serve customers in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. It will have four core divisions, including Energy,Agronomy, Grain, and Swine & Animal Nutrition. Keystone will employ over 1,700 dedicated team members throughout the statesserved, with expected annual revenue of $3 billion.
The boards have chosen Kevin Still, current President & CEO of Co-Alliance, to be the President & CEO of Keystone Cooperative. Ceres Solutions current CEO Jeff Troike will become the Executive Vice President of Keystone Cooperative, Inc. alongside Co-Alliance’s current Executive Vice President, Scott Logue.
“Keystone Cooperative brings together two financially strong, legacy-rich and highly successful cooperatives. This historic mergercreates a cooperative that is equipped to navigate the ever-changing markets of today’s agriculture and energy industries,” said Kevin Still. “This powerful combination will build a cooperative that maximizes efficiencies, capitalizes on technology, and has theresources to enhance our customer experience while preparing for the needs of our future stakeholders,” concluded Still.
“Our membership has recognized the value of this combination, and we are looking forward to achieving our promise of acooperative that is focused on the success of our members, the vitality of our rural communities, and providing an unparallelledreturn for our farmer-owners,” Jeff Troike added.
This merger announcement comes after a thorough due diligence process and the collaborative joint venture, Endeavor Ag &Energy, which serves Central Michigan in agronomy, propane and feed.
Rick Brubaker, Chairman of Ceres Board of Directors underscored the value of the merger, saying, “Our successful partnership with the Endeavor business in Michigan helped exhibit the collaborative capacity of our organizations. We look forward to seeing this team find even more synergies with our broader businesses.”
Tim Burke, Chairman of Co-Alliance Board of Directors affirmed the merger opportunity, stating, “This merger is a testament to ourshared vision and unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional value to our customers. Together we will create a stronger, moreresilient cooperative that will remain successful for our future generations.”
Keystone Cooperative will be headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Co-Alliance Cooperative, Inc. is a member-owned supply and marketing operation delivering innovative solutions for farmer-membersand customers across Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan specializing in agronomy, propane, fuels, grain, seed, hog production, and feed. Thecustomer-focused company strives to deliver on its collective mission to lead with people and technology, grow profitably, give back locally, and remember its cooperative roots.
Ceres Solutions Cooperative, Inc. is a 100% farmer-owned local cooperative headquartered in Crawfordsville, Indiana that servescustomers across 37 counties in Indiana and Michigan. The business strives to build long-term relationships and add value through acomprehensive line of energy, agronomy, seed and feed products and services. More than 750 experienced Ceres Solutions teammembers are focused daily on delivering service, stewardship and innovation to earn and keep customer trust.
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