BRANDT Creates Environment, Health & Safety Function
Internal Candidate Promoted to Drive EH&S Strategy and Lead Team
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (2 March 2020) –BRANDT, a leading agriculture retailer and manufacturer of specialty agriculture products, has created a new global environment, health and safety function.
Rick Cathcart, formerly BRANDT’s Director of Manufacturing/Process Development, has been tabbed to lead the new function and has been promoted to VP, EH&S. Cathcart and the EH&S team will report to Lee Allen, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer.
“Congratulations to Rick on this well-deserved promotion,” said Rick Brandt, CEO of BRANDT. “Rick and his team will do a great job with the EH&S function. What I’m particularly proud of is that this recommendation came from our Board of Directors. They saw the need to create this function. This is an important move for BRANDT as we continue to instill best practices into our business and take on the future. “
BRANDT has a proud history of promoting worker safety and minimizing its environmental impact. The company is a charter member of ResponsibleAg, the industry-led initiative committed to helping agribusinesses properly store and handle farm input supplies. BRANDT’s Executive Vice President, Tim McArdle, currently serves as the chairman of the ResponsibleAg Board.
Cathcart has been with BRANDT since 2013. His responsibilities included improving operations along with oversight of BRANDT’s Specialty Formulations division’s EH&S and Quality Assurance teams. He has overseen five major capital project expansions during his tenure with BRANDT. Before joining the company, Cathcart held various manufacturing operational roles from Manufacturing Supervisor to Vice President of Operations over a 30+ year career.
“We looked at a number of external and internal candidates,” said Mike Barry, chair of the BRANDT Board of Director’s audit committee. “And we all kept coming back to Rick. He’s already proven himself to be a valuable member of Team BRANDT and he certainly has the respect of the entire BRANDT executive team. It was a unanimous decision to recommend Rick for the job.”
Cathcart will take on the new role immediately. His first task will be to build out an EH&S strategy, engaging with the BRANDT Agronomic Services team in Central Illinois and the BRANDT Specialty Formulations facilities around the world.
“I’m excited about this new challenge. BRANDT already has a strong safety culture which to build on. This appointment formalizes a corporate-wide function and will enable us to develop processes and practices across the organization,” said Cathcart.
About BRANDT
A leading agricultural company, BRANDT serves growers around the globe. Founded in 1953 by Glen Brandt and his sister Evelyn Brandt Thomas to help Illinois farmers adopt new and profitable technologies, the company has experienced aggressive growth under the leadership of President and CEO Rick Brandt. BRANDT’s focus is providing the products and services that give growers the best opportunity for return while building a stronger, healthier and more abundant food supply.
