The final papers were signed on the dotted line Friday, April 1, and West Central Cooperative of Ralston and Farmers Cooperative Company of Ames officially became Landus Cooperative. The new cooperative, headquartered out of Ames, provides a global reach and a local touch through more than 725 full-time employees at locations in more than 70 communities and over 7,000 member owners throughout Iowa and Minnesota. Landus Chief Executive Officer, Milan Kucerak, says this is a historic time for employees, communities, members and the greater cooperative industry. They will continue to focus on what this merger means for their customers and members moving forward. The merging of two strong cooperatives, he says, allows for further diversification through the supply chain and opens local and global opportunities for added value and growth. The purpose of this merger, he added, is to make two cooperative organizations better than either could be separately. Kucerak also noted that, like any merger, full integration is still underway. Customers and members will immediately begin to see the new logo on vehicles and at locations along with equipment and service sharing, complete integration of accounting and operational systems is likely to take many months. The cooperative’s interim website is now available at LandusCooperative.com and includes up-to-date information, profiles of the newly-named executive team, board members and an explanation of the new company name and logo.
