Speakers

Bill Krueger is President and Chief Executive Officer for The Andersons, Inc. and has more than 30 years of experience working in the agriculture sector. He had previously served as the company’s chief operating officer and President of the trade and processing business. 

Bill joined The Andersons in 2019 as part of the Lansing Trade Group, LLC acquisition. For over 25 years, he served in numerous management positions, including that of President and CEO for 14 years. With his vast experience, he acquired a deep knowledge of the commodity industry and a strong business development skillset in grains, energy, risk management, and corporate finance. 

Prior to The Andersons and Lansing, Bill began his career as a grain merchant. 

Bill has served on various industry boards and is currently a member of the NGFA Executive Committee and Board of Directors. He also supports philanthropic causes in both the Kansas City metro area and several communities where The Andersons have operations. He recently finished ten years of service on Children’s Mercy Hospital Board, where he served as Chairman. 

Bill earned his Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management.

Brian Valentine joined The Andersons in 2018 with more than 20 years of senior management experience and expertise encompassing corporate finance, treasury, public capital markets, accounting, tax, and investment management. He previously served as corporate vice president and chief financial officer for the Lubrizol Corporation, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and manufacturer of specialty chemicals. Prior to this role, he held numerous financial leadership positions within the company while it was publicly traded, including corporate treasurer. 

Currently, he serves on the board of trustees for the Greater Toledo Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Toledo. 

Brian earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in accounting as well as his Master of Business Administration from John Carroll University. He is a certified public accountant licensed in the state of Ohio.

Weston Heide joined The Andersons, Inc. in 2019 as part of the Lansing Trade Group, LLC acquisition where he spent more than a decade in various corporate and commercial roles. 

He most recently served as senior vice president for The Andersons former Trade and Processing leading various businesses across North America, including commodity merchandising, grain handling assets, premium and specialty ingredients, and facility operations and safety, as well as overseeing the U.K.-based Feed Factors, Ltd. 

Weston’s more than 15 years senior management experience in agribusiness includes finance, strategy and business development, international business, pet food, and premium ingredients. 

Prior to The Andersons and Lansing, Weston worked as a senior manager for Deloitte. 

Weston earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Trinity University and a master’s degree in business from Cal Berkeley and Columbia University.

Mark Simmons joined The Andersons, Inc. in 2019 as part of the Lansing Trade Group, LLC acquisition where he held trading positions for over 15 years. 

Over the course of Mark’s more than 25 years in the agriculture and renewables industries he has traded a variety of commodities and liquid fuels, including wheat midds, ethanol, biodiesel, crude oil, diesel, and gasoline, as well as renewable identification numbers (RINs) and low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) credits. 

Most recently, Mark served as vice president of plant originations and merchandising for The Andersons Renewable business overseeing ethanol marketing, trading, and plant originations. 

Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Missouri State University.

Sarah Zibbel joined The Andersons in August 2023 and has more than 20 years of leadership experience in human resources and talent management. She previously served as senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Libbey since 2018, where she was part of the leadership team that led the multi-year reorganization of the company and the purpose driven culture renovation focused on inclusion, leadership excellence, accountability, and engagement with a goal of securing sustainable, long-term growth. 

Prior to this, Sarah was the vice president of global talent, culture, and organizational effectiveness at Owens-Illinois, Inc., and had held various leadership positions of increasing responsibility with Owens Corning and MedCorp, Inc. 

She currently serves as a trustee for St. Ursula Academy (since 2020) and St. John’s Jesuit (2021) in Toledo. Sarah previously served as a board trustee for the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce (2020-2023) and on the board for the Employer Association of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan (2012-2020). 

Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in communications management and sociology from the University of Dayton and holds a Master of Business Administration in international business from Bowling Green State University.

Mike Hoelter has held several finance leadership roles within The Andersons over the last 10 years, currently as the vice president, corporate controller and investor relations. As the chief accounting officer, he oversees accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, tax, and investor relations. Prior to joining The Andersons, Mike started his career with Ernst & Young, LLP. 

Mike earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy degrees from Bowling Green State University. He is a certified public accountant in the state of Ohio since 2008. 

Currently, Mike serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Northwest Ohio Business Advisory Council.