Sunrise & Trupointe Announce Next Steps
Source: Sunrise Cooperative and Trupointe
Both Sunrise and Trupointe Cooperative memberships confirmed majority support of the merger that will join them officially on Sept. 1 of this year. Much progress has been made since the special meetings held on March 7, which tallied the results.
Immediately following these meetings, both Cooperative’s Board of Directors held council to select the six representatives from each current Board (12 total) who will represent the new entity. Under the new Cooperative, the Board of Directors will represent membership through districts and are as follows:
| Chairman | John Lowry | Wapakoneta, OH | Aulaize Co. | District 1 |
| Vice-Chairman | Pete Hazel | Wakeman, OH | Huron Co. | District 3 |
| Secretary | Gene Cook | Clyde, OH | Seneca Co. | District 1 |
| Asst. Secretary | Doug Swaim | Cedarville, OH | Greene Co. | District 2 |
| Rick Brill | Wellington, OH | Lorain Co. | District 3 | |
| Mike Kocher | Galion, OH | Marion Co. | District 3 | |
| James Metzger | Wapakoneta, OH | Auglaize Co. | At-Large | |
| Bart Neer | South Vienna, OH | Clark Co. | District 2 | |
| Ben Ritz | Attica, OH | Seneca Co. | District 1 | |
| Steve Snider | Piqua, OH | Shelby Co. | At-Large |
| Dean Sweeting | North Fairfield, OH | Huron Co. | At-Large | |
| Kirk Walker | New Vienna, OH | Clinton Co. | District 2 |
As a newly formed Board of Directors, immediate decisions included identifying the entity name and headquarters. On Sept. 1, operations will begin as Sunrise Cooperative, Inc. with all corporate functions being completed from offices in Fremont and Piqua, Ohio.
George Secor, the presiding CEO of Sunrise Cooperative, will lead the new entity. The newly combined entity will operate more than 40 facilities with more than 400 full-time employees, and begin operations with total sales just under $900 million. Products and services will be provided in agronomy supply, animal nutrition, grain marketing, power fuels, propane and turf & ornamental.