ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S. — CHS Inc. announced on Dec. 19 that it has opened an office in Singapore, and Rick Browne, senior vice-president, grain marketing, will lead the expansion and growth of CHS Asia-Pacific business platform. Browne will be based in Singapore.

"While CHS has been doing business in the Asia-Pacific region for a number of years, we are intensifying our focus on this dynamic, growing market," said Mark Palmquist, CHS executive vice-president and chief operating officer, ag business. "Increasing our profile in global commodities is one of the company's strategic aspirations."

CHS also recently opened an office in Seoul, South Korea, in addition to existing Asia-Pacific offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.

Browne joined CHS in 1979 as a grain merchandiser and has held a variety of grain marketing merchandising and management positions in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., and Portland, Oregon, U.S. He was named senior vice-president in 2001 and has led the CHS North American Grain Marketing platform since that time. In early 2011, Browne also assumed management responsibility for the CHS Crop Nutrients business.

Browne also represented CHS on the board of directors for TEMCO, Horizon Milling, LLC and the National Grain and Feed Association. He earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics and business management from the University of California-Davis.