Alto Ingredients, Inc. Appoints Todd E. Benton As Chief Operating Officer, Effective April 1, 2024
Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALTO), a producer and distributor of renewable fuel and essential ingredients and the largest producer of specialty alcohols in the United States, announced today that Michael D. Kandris advised the company that he will resign from his position as Interim Chief Operating Officer effective April 1, 2024. Kandris will continue to serve as a special advisor during a transition period ending with his retirement on June 20, 2024 and will remain on the board of directors. The company has appointed Todd E. Benton to the position of Chief Operating Officer effective April 1, 2024.
"We thank Mike for his leadership, dedication and mentorship, and we look forward to his ongoing contributions as a continuing director completing another smooth management transition," said McGregor. "I am delighted to congratulate Todd on his well-deserved promotion to COO. In addition to his excellent training and work outside of Alto, Todd has over 25 years of experience at our Pekin facilities, good relations with the workforce, and a deep connection with the Pekin community. Todd has an extensive record of achievement delivering operational excellence through strategic and tactical leadership. The Board and I believe Todd will be a strong leader in our transformational efforts centered around operational efficiency, safety, reliability and sustainability."
Benton added, "Our commitment to carbon capture and storage (CCS) at the Pekin campus showcases our dedication to initiatives with tangible, long-term benefits for our stakeholders. As demands for low-carbon products rise, our upgraded facility will position the Pekin campus as a leading producer for the future. Our strategic direction supports the ethanol industry in Illinois, our workforce, and corn farmers, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. I look forward to working with the team to drive our CCS opportunity to completion while we remain focused on leveraging the unique strengths and opportunities of our Idaho and Oregon facilities to enhance productivity, quality and reliability."
About Todd E. Benton
Todd E. Benton joined Alto Ingredients in 2018 as site manager of the Pekin complex and has been Vice President of Operations since 2021, overseeing health and safety, environmental compliance, operations, reliability, quality assurance, labor relations, procurement and logistics across the Pekin campus. He has 30 years of operations and leadership experience in corn wet milling, high quality alcohol and dry grind fuel ethanol production. Benton began his career at the Pekin wet mill for Pekin Energy Company (Joint Venture between CPC and Texaco) in 1994. Prior to joining Alto Ingredients, Benton spent five years with Flint Hills Resources (Koch Industries) as Plant Manager and as the Senior Process Engineering leader for the Biofuels & Ingredients business. Prior to the time at Koch, Benton served in various leadership roles for Williams Companies and Aventine Renewable Energy with the last five years as Director of Operations.
Benton has a B.S. degree in Biology from Eastern Illinois University and studied Business Administration at Bradley University.