West Point, GA. Aug. 11, 2008 – Accelegrow Technologies, Inc., (www.accelegrow.com), announced today that William H. (Bill) Camp, former Executive Vice President of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM), has been named Chairman and CEO of Accelegrow Technologies, Inc., effective Aug. 6. Mr. Camp has served on the Board of Directors of Accelegrow, a West Point, Ga.-based agriscience company, since January this year.
He succeeds Gerald B. Andrews Sr., Accelegrow Chairman and CEO since the company’s operations began two-and-a-half years ago. Mr. Andrews, who made the announcement, will remain on the Accelegrow Board.
Mr. Camp retired at the end of 2007 as Executive Vice President - Asian Strategy from Archer Daniels Midland, with 30 years’ experience in the agricultural industry. Archer Daniels Midland is a world leader in the manufacture of food, feed and biofuels. Headquartered in Decatur, Ill., ADM had over 27,000 employees in more than 240 processing plants with sales of $69.8 billion for fiscal year 2008.
“We were extremely pleased when I convinced Bill to join Accelegrow’s Board of Directors shortly after he retired from ADM,” said Mr. Andrews. “His reputation in the agriculture processing industry is outstanding. In addition to vast experience in world agricultural markets, his leadership and integrity are well known throughout the industry. I was hopeful that once Bill became exposed to the exceptional and exciting prospects of Accelegrow and was informed about our operations, he would be interested in joining our management team. We have worked diligently for two-and-a-half years to develop our unique patent-pending products and to tell the Accelegrow story across the U.S., South America and Africa”.
“Bill’s extensive market knowledge and distribution experience will lift Accelegrow Technologies to a new level. When we designed our requirements for an executive to meet this task, the description was a perfect fit for him. I have truly enjoyed my tenure as Chairman and CEO and I look forward to continuing on the Board and helping move this company toward its great potential in U.S. and world markets,” Mr. Andrews said.
“Our research and field tests show that Accelegrow products consistently provide special attributes and worth to the farmer, including increased crop yields, improved quality, stress and drought resistance, consistent performance and sustainability producing healthier plants and accelerated growth cycles. We are very excited about the strong foundation we have laid and the many opportunities and prospects ahead. With Accelegrow Technologies, a new paradigm takes center stage that will change in a positive way the world’s perception of the future of agriculture,” Mr. Andrews predicted.
Before his assignment as Executive Vice President - Asian Strategy, Mr. Camp served as Executive Vice President - Global Processing from 2005, responsible for global manufacturing, grain handling and transportation operations. He was previously Senior Vice President from 2001, with responsibilities for ADM’s global oil seeds, cocoa and wheat milling operations. He was elected an ADM corporate vice president in 1993 and was named President - ADM Transportation, overseeing ADM barge operations, the American River Transportation Company (ARTCO) and ADM trucking and railroad operations. He also served as President - ADM South American Division and President - ADM North American Oilseed Processing division. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois.
Prior to becoming Accelegrow Chairman and CEO, Mr. Andrews was Executive Vice President of WestPoint Stevens, Inc., based in New York City, where he retired after 38 years in a range of management positions in industrial engineering, manufacturing, merchandising, finance and marketing. He was next CEO and President of Johnston Industries, Inc., before retiring again in five years. He then served as Executive-in Residence at Auburn (Ala.) University, where he wrote and taught a course in Creative Analysis. He attended Auburn University and Harvard Business School and is a Senior Fellow of The Textile Institute, Manchester, England.
Accelegrow, an agri-science company established in West Point, Ga., in 2006, produces unique, patent-pending fertilizer supplements that significantly increase the performance of plant life for food, fiber, fuel and forestry production. These supplements are specifically engineered to support farmers and producers faced with crop stress and drought conditions. Accelegrow Technologies’ extensive research and development program encompasses all the leading market crops – including cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, sugarcane, peanuts, vegetables, hay, pasture, flowers and trees. Extensive research has proven Accelegrow supplements uniquely effective in increasing dry carbon biomass for ethanol and biofuel conversion and in the emerging carbon credit market. On the World Wide Web, Accelegrow is www.accelegrow.com.