October 29, 2025 – Kincannon & Reed, which exclusively focuses on food, agribusiness, and the related life sciences, has placed Mike Jerke as the new CEO of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE). Jon Leafstedt and Patrick Fitzgerald, principals with Kincannon & Reed, conducted a nationwide search for SIRE. Current CEO Mike Jerke will retire at the end of 2025 after seven years of leadership. He will remain with the company through 2026 to support a smooth transition.

“Eric’s deep commercial expertise and understanding of the ethanol business will position Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy as a leader in a dynamic and evolving industry,” said Karol King, chairman of SIRE’s board of directors.

Mr. Fobes brings more than 20 years of executive experience in the energy and ethanol industries, with a strong track record in trading, marketing, asset management, and mergers and acquisition strategy. Most recently, he led renewable fuel trading, distribution, and risk management for a national travel center company, overseeing the largest retail consumption of renewable fuel in the country, along with rapid expansion of E15 gasoline offerings across their network. Mr. Fobes also executed the acquisition of an ethanol plant and directed major process technology upgrades. Prior to that, he managed global ethanol operations for four leading international energy and commodity firms.

Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy is a farmer-owned ethanol production facility located in Council Bluffs, IA, that was formed in March 2005 and began operations in February 2009. With a capacity of about 140 million gallons per year, the plant uses corn as its primary feedstock to produce fuel-grade ethanol.

Founded in 1981, Kincannon & Reed serves clients throughout the world from locations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The firm is based in Arlington, VA. Kincannon & Reed’s mission is: “We recruit leaders for organizations that feed the world and keep it healthy.”

Mr. Leafstedt, managing partner, draws on his expertise in agriculture and biotechnology to help associations, cooperatives, and early-stage companies define their talent needs and recruit senior leadership. Passionate about connecting people with the right roles and organizations, he has led more than 200 searches in his tenure with Kincannon & Reed. Mr. Leafstedt is located in Des Moines, IA.

Related: Kincannon & Reed Recruits President for AGCO Corporation’s PTx

Mr. Fitzgerald is a new managing director. His background in the value chain includes numerous roles with Kraft Heinz and ConAgra Brands as well as Glanbia Performance Nutrition. He most recently provided C-suite leadership consultation as a member of EY’s People advisory services.

American Vanguard Corporation Search

Kincannon & Reed recently placed Douglas Kaye as the new CEO of American Vanguard Corporation in Newport Beach, CA. Heinrich Gugger and Stephen Coffey spearheaded the search. Eric G. Wintemute concluded his position as CEO with American Vanguard this past summer. “We are excited to welcome Dak to American Vanguard,” said Scott Baskin, lead director of the board. “His appointment is the result of a comprehensive search process that attracted many outstanding candidates. We are pleased that Dak has agreed to join American Vanguard to spearhead the next phase of the company’s business transformation. We believe that Dak is the right executive to drive the company to achieve its transformation goal of generating an adjusted EBITDA margin of 15 percent and to strategically position the company for future growth.”

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Mr. Kaye brings extensive experience to American Vanguard and is expected to lead the company into a new era of growth and innovation. For the past 13 years, he has served in a variety of senior leadership roles at Albaugh, LLC, a top ten global crop protection company. Mr. Kaye most recently held the role of president, North America, which is the largest region in the company.

American Vanguard Corporation is a diversified specialty and agricultural products company that develops and markets products for crop protection and management, turf and ornamentals management and public and animal health. Over the past 20 years, through product and business acquisitions, the company has expanded its operations into 21 countries and now has over 1,000 product registrations in 56 nations worldwide.

Related: Kincannon & Reed Recruits President and CEO for CropLife America

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media