Christi Offutt named next chair of RDO enterprise

FARGO, N.D. — Christi Offutt, CEO of RDO Equipment Co., has been named to succeed her father Ron Offutt as Chair of RDO Enterprise (comprised of RDO Equipment Co. and R.D. Offutt Company). Ms. Offutt has served as Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officer of RDO Equipment Co. since January 2001.

Effective January 1, 2015, Ms. Offutt will be named Chair of RDO Enterprise and Mr. Offutt will become Chair Emeritus. As Chair, Ms. Offutt will partner with the respective executive teams to help set strategic direction for both RDO Equipment Co. and R.D. Offutt Company. She will continue serving as CEO of RDO Equipment Co. working with her existing leadership team.

“As I reflect upon my family legacy, I recall working as a partner with my father in our farming operation and how he taught me to face challenges and look for opportunities,” commented Ron Offutt. “So with the purchase of my first equipment store, I knew that building strong partnerships was the key to growing and succeeding. Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to have a generation of extremely talented family business leaders who have continued this legacy of creating and nurturing partnerships to grow our business. As a strong leader within this generation, Christi has shown expertise in developing stakeholder relationships. Her hard work and cultural insight have laid the foundation for success and growth today and for our future generations.”

Ms. Offutt commented, “RDO Equipment Co. and R.D. Offutt Company are exceptional examples of how values and a great culture are the foundation of business success. We have created strong relationships with our stakeholder groups and I respect my family’s leadership in creating these partnerships. The legacy that comes with this position is one that I am proud to be a part of – it’s one that I am confident we will continue to strengthen and nurture. I look forward to working with the Board, my family members, and all the teams across the organization.”

Founded in 1968, RDO Equipment Co. is a family‐owned and operated company dedicated to providing and supporting innovative solutions for John Deere agriculture and construction; Vermeer; Topcon; and RDO Water customers. The corporation employs more than 2,200 people and is headquartered in Fargo, N.D. with more than 60 locations in nine U.S. states. In the last thirteen years under Ms. Offutt’s leadership, RDO Equipment Co. has grown from a $680 million business to a $2 billion business including international partnerships in Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, and Australia.

R.D. Offutt Company, headquartered in Fargo, is the largest potato grower in the United States and operates farms in eight states and one Canadian province. Keith McGovern serves as CEO of R.D. Offutt Company. Founded in 1964, the company grows in excess of 55,000 acres of potatoes annually and is involved in 11 food processing facilities in seven states that produce frozen potato and vegetable products, fresh pack potatoes, better for you snacks, and potato flakes. R.D. Offutt Company has partnerships with many companies in the food industry including ConAgra, Tillamook Cheese, Idahoan Foods, and Calbee North America. The company owns and operates Threemile Canyon Farms in Boardman, Oregon. This unique 93,000 acre farming operation is recognized as a leader in sustainable agricultural practices and farms a total of 39,500 acres. Columbia River Dairy, a large dairy operation at the farm, has 25,000 head of Jersey milk cows and produces more than 1.4 million pounds (163,000 gallons) of milk each day.

Ms. Offutt is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound with degrees in politics and government and in business administration, and she earned a juris doctor degree in May 1996 from Boston University. She is also a graduate of Harvard’s Executive Advanced Management Program. She currently serves as a Director for Bell State Bank & Trust as well as the RD Offutt Family Board. She is a former Director for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation.