Kemin Industries employees and central Iowa community leaders gathered for a private ceremony to celebrate the official grand opening of the company’s worldwide headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa on August 29, 2017. The event featured tributes to the company’s history of innovation, science and entrepreneurship in improving the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products in a global market. More than 600 attendees had the opportunity to tour the building, sample food from all of the Kemin global locations and hear remarks from Dr. Chris Nelson, president and CEO of Kemin, and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, as well as join in a molecular structure connection ceremony to signify the new headquarters as unifying the employees at corporate headquarters.
“The new headquarters is more than a building — it’s an investment in providing the resources our team members need to move forward our company vision of improving the quality of life by touching half of the people of the world every day with our products and services,” said Dr. Chris Nelson in a press release. “By unifying our employees in one location, innovation and collaboration will increase and we now have a place to welcome our entire global team.”
The new building, a US$30 million investment, completes a five-year, US$125.5 million overall investment in Kemin Des Moines facilities. Located in the emerging development area of the southeast corridor near downtown, the 94,000 square foot building houses work spaces, laboratories, collaboration areas and a fitness center. More than 500 Des Moines-based employees moved into the headquarters in January 2017. Since 1961 when R.W. and Mary Nelson founded the company, Kemin has been headquartered in Des Moines and has actively been involved in the community including support of Habitat for Humanity, Youth Emergency Services and Shelter (YESS) and The World Food Prize.
About Kemin Industries
As a global nutritional ingredient company, Kemin maintains manufacturing facilities where over 500 specialty ingredients are made for humans and animals in the global feed and food industries, as well as the health, nutrition and beauty markets. The company provides product solutions and options to customers in more than 120 countries. A privately held, family-owned and operated company, Kemin has more than 2,000 global employees and operates in 90 countries including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and the US.