BRANDT Names Two Industry Leaders to Board of Directors

Date:05-02-2013

BRANDT announced the appointment of two industry veterans to its board of directors. Joining the BRANDT board are John Salmonson, formerly owner of Monterey AgResources, Inc.  and John Peaty, formerly owner of Barmac Pty Ltd and Globe Australia Pty Ltd. The new board members bring more than 85 years of combined experience in global agriculture.

“As we continue to expand our business worldwide, it’s critical that we expand our leadership pool,” said Rick Brandt, President & CEO of BRANDT. “These two guys provide a depth of experience, talent and insight that will help us take BRANDT to the next level.”

Joining 11 other directors, Peaty and Salmonson will serve one-year terms on the BRANDT Board. They were elected by the BRANDT shareholders in their annual meeting.

Born in Northern California to a second-generation farming family, Salmonson, 68, started his career in agriculture in 1967 as a field sales rep in Lubbock, TX. In 1970 he joined Monterey Chemical Company, known in the market as Monterey AgResources. Within four years, Salmonson had bought the company and was named president and CEO. Salmonson and his partners sold 100% of Monterey to BRANDT in January 2013.

In addition to growing Monterey AgResources, Salmonson has been an active voice in the industry, particularly in sustainable agriculture. In 2008 he was elected to the Board of the Organic Fertilizer Association of California. Subsequently, he was appointed Chairman of the Assembly Committee AB856 to develop and adopt rules for organic inputs for California agriculture; he was also appointed to the advisory committee of CDFA for consultation on pesticides.

For his lifetime of work in agriculture, Salmonson was named alumnus of the year in 2011 for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

“I am pleased to be joining the BRANDT board,” Salmonson said. “We have been associated with BRANDT as our owner for three years and this continues to integrate our business goals and philosophy for the future.”

Peaty, 65, brings deep international experience to the BRANDT Board. An Australian citizen and resident of Sydney.  Peaty founded Globe Australia when he was only 25, growing it into Australia's largest privately owned distributor of non-crop fertilizers and pesticides. He subsequently purchased Barmac in 1978. As a manufacturer of fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, Barmac expanded into a national supplier of plant nutrients and plant protection products.

In February 2012, Peaty sold Barmac and Globe to Hong Kong-based CK Life Sciences. At the time of the sale, Peaty’s businesses had 106 employees, 14 locations and 930 distributor outlets.

“Having been associated with BRANDT for more than 12 years, I have a good understanding and knowledge of the company, its people and its culture. My value and focus is to bring an independent and international perspective to the Board,” said Peaty. “I am enthused to be part of Brandt’s future, growth and direction.”

Board committee responsibilities are still being determined for Peaty and Salmonson.

“From the employee level up to the Board level, BRANDT continues to attract the best and the brightest. And that’s not just in the Ag industry, that’s in any industry,” said Rick Brandt. “Our philosophy is simple: If you want to be a leader, your organization needs to be made up of leaders. With these two additions, we’re living that philosophy.”