WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — Ag Growth International Inc. has promoted Paul Householder to president and chief executive officer. The announcement follows the decision by Tim Close to step down as president and CEO to pursue other opportunities.

Householder most recently was chief operating officer at AGI. He joined the company in 2019 as executive vice president, international with responsibility for leading all aspects of AGI’s businesses outside of North America. In 2020, he was promoted to executive vice president, global operations with expanded responsibility, including coverage of AGI’s North American businesses. In 2021, he was elevated to COO, providing strategic, organizational, and administrative leadership to the day-to-day operations of AGI's business.

Prior to AGI, Householder spent 28 years at Air Products and Chemicals, where he progressed through several senior positions, including general management roles with full P&L ownership of businesses in the United States and Brazil. In addition, he held several global leadership roles focusing on continuous improvement, business development, sales, and engineering.

He received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Lafayette College and a master’s degree in business administration at Lehigh University. He also has completed the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard.

“We are fortunate to have Paul Householder stepping in to serve as our president and CEO,” said Bill Lambert, chairman of the board. “Paul joined AGI in 2019 after a long and successful career in the industrial chemicals sector where he ran substantial global businesses with multiple facilities across several geographies. Since joining the company Paul has earned the respect of our board of directors and is highly regarded throughout our organization. Recently, Paul has been leading projects designed to deepen the level of integration and optimization of our many businesses and his focus on operational excellence will serve us well. The board has full confidence in Paul’s ability to lead AGI.”

Close, who will remain with AGI through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition, has been with the company since August 2012. He had been president since 2015 and CEO since January 2016.

“On behalf of the board and everyone at AGI, I want to thank Tim for his service and passionate dedication to AGI and all of its stakeholders and for his tremendous leadership and highly valued contributions to AGI’s strong position today,” Lambert said. “Tim joined the company in August 2012 as vice president, strategic planning and development, was appointed president in March of 2015 and became president and chief executive officer in January 2016. He has played an instrumental role in the evolution of the company over his tenure, spearheading the acquisition of over 25 businesses, initiating the company’s strategic entry into the digital agriculture space, building an outstanding senior leadership team and in the process transforming AGI from a regional manufacturer of grain handling equipment to a diversified truly global food infrastructure leader. It has been a pleasure to work with Tim as we’ve accomplished these objectives. Tim is a highly talented executive, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”