HyVee, Scoular Invest In America’s Cultivation Corridor
News, Press releases, See All | 12/01/2021
DES MOINES, IOWA – America’s Cultivation Corridor announced today the addition of two new companies, HyVee and Scoular, as stakeholders. Georgia Van Gundy, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Customer Officer at HyVee, and Ed Prosser, Senior Vice President, Emerging Business at Scoular, will also join the Corridor’s Board of Directors. Suresh Seshadri, Chief Architect at Scoular, will join the Board of Directors as a delegate.
Investors and partners of America’s Cultivation Corridor are working together to accelerate the development of new technologies, strengthen Iowa’s ag bioscience workforce, and attract economic development, all focused on meeting the challenge of feeding a growing world population in a sustainable way.
“We are excited to welcome both HyVee and Scoular as stakeholders in America’s Cultivation Corridor,” said Judd O’Connor, President of U.S. Commercial Business for Corteva Agriscience, and Chairman of the Cultivation Corridor Board of Directors. “As leaders in their segments, they will bring tremendous expertise and insights as we work together to elevate Iowa as the leading region for the research, development and commercialization of agricultural innovations.”
With sales of $12 billion annually, Hy-Vee ranks among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. Its more than 300 stores are located in eight Midwestern states: Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Distribution centers are in Chariton, Iowa, and Cherokee, Iowa, with a third perishable operation in Ankeny, Iowa. Hy-Vee’s corporate office is located in West Des Moines, Iowa.
“We look forward to engaging with the America’s Cultivation Corridor and contributing to efforts to elevate and connect innovation from gate to plate,” said Van Gundy. “New ideas and technologies are bringing positive change to every segment of the food chain and we are excited to not only represent the final step in the chain working directly with consumers, but also to connect innovations from our sector to drive progress across the industry in Iowa and beyond.”
Scoular is a 128-year-old company with $6 billion in annual sales, creating safe and reliable supply chain solutions for end-users and suppliers of grain, feed ingredients and food ingredients. From its more than 100 offices and facilities in North America and Asia, Scoular’s 1,000-plus employees lead the way by buying, selling, storing, handling and processing grain and ingredients as well as managing transportation and logistics for customers around the world.
“At Scoular, leadership and innovation are at the heart of our work in the U.S. and around the world,” said Prosser. “Engaging with the leadership of America’s Cultivation Corridor is a tremendous opportunity to highlight the innovations underway in the Heartland and make connections that will drive continued growth and resilience in agriculture.”
Other stakeholders of the Cultivation Corridor include Iowa State University, Corteva Agriscience, Deere & Company, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Iowa Pork Producers, Kent Corporation, MidAmerican Energy, Ames Economic Development Corporation, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Farm Bureau, ISG, Kemin, REG, and Sukup Manufacturing, Co.
Iowa’s agriculture industry includes global leaders in all sectors — advanced manufacturing, agricultural processing, animal health, biobased processing and fuels, plant sciences, predictive agriculture and more — as well as start-up companies with new technologies that will boost productivity, animal care and sustainability for farmers in Iowa and around the world.
More information is available at CultivationCorridor.org, or by following on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
About America’s Cultivation Corridor
Focused on further developing and marketing the world-renowned agricultural and bioscience economy in Iowa, America’s Cultivation Corridor is building on a rich history of innovation to accelerate value-added agriculture business development by attracting companies, talent and capital from across the globe to the state. Representing a diverse public-private coalition of stakeholders including Iowa State University, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Ames Chamber of Commerce, nonprofits and private sector companies from across the region and state, the Cultivation Corridor is one of the nation’s foremost cluster-based economic development organizations. For more information, visit CultivationCorridor.org.
