Jay Debertin is no stranger to the northern Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.
Debertin - the new president and CEO of CHS Inc. - is a native of East Grand Forks, Minn., and a graduate of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., East Grand Forks' sister city. His official CHS biography says he grew up "surrounded by vibrant agricultural communities and a strong cooperative system."
Since joining the cooperative in 1984, Debertin has held a number of leadership positions in energy marketing, crude oil supply, refining, pipelines and terminals, trading and risk management, and transportation. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the company's energy operations and processing and food ingredients.
Debertin took over the top spot from Carl Casale, who had led the cooperative since early 2011. Casale, who said his objectives with CHS had been achieved, reached out to the CHS board previously about beginning a transition, according to published reports.
CHS, an energy, grains and foods company, is the nation's largest member-owned cooperative. It has 11,000 employees and represents 600,000 farmer-owners nationwide.
