North American agriculture and energy cooperative GROWMARK announced Monday that it has appointed Mark Orr as its chief executive officer effective March 1, 2022. He will replace Jim Spradin, who is slated to retire on Feburary 28 after serving as the firm’s CEO for more than seven years.

“Mark brings a wealth of proven leadership experience to the chief executive role,” the cooperative’s chairman, John Reifsteck, said in a release. “As we searched for the ideal candidate, the GROWMARK Board of Directors identified the most critical leadership attributes and experiences required to drive our enterprise business strategies for the long-term success of the GROWMARK/FS System. Mark demonstrates a collaborative approach to leadership along with a passion for innovation and growth that benefits our member-owners, all of our customers, and their end users.”

Orr has worked as vice president, Agronomy for GROWMARK since 2014. The executive previously served as region vice president for GROWMARK and as general manager of AgView FS and Piatt County Service Company. He joined the company in 1990.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to lead one of the greatest organizations in agriculture and look forward to building upon the strategies already driving the GROWMARK System to unprecedented growth in recent years,” said Orr in a statement. “At the end of the day, it all comes down to serving our members with unsurpassed customer service and delivering value to our member-owners across North America.”

GROWMARK is a supplier of fuels, lubricants, crop nutrients, crop protection products, seed, and equipment, as well as a variety of services, including construction, grain marketing, and warehousing.