Company officials at Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. announced that Gordon Lane, President and Chief Operations Officer, will retire effective July 29, 2016. Lane will continue handling special projects before joining the company’s Board of Directors. Ryan O’Toole, currently Vice President of Operations, will assume the role of Chief Operations Officer.

Lane joined the family-owned business in 2002. “Under Gordon’s direction, we have streamlined operations, gained efficiencies and grown in size. In 2010 we received a Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award. That’s no small achievement,” said CEO Monica Briess. “In the past four years we’ve grown from a malting company into a vertically integrated grain processing company and almost tripled the number of people in the Briess family. And he’s done that without sacrificing who we are.”

Board of Director and fifth generation Craig Briess added, “I want to thank Gordon on behalf of the entire Briess family. With integrity, commitment, conviction and faith by your side, you’ve led Briess to where it is today.”

O’Toole, who is a graduate of the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, has a broad range of experience in the food and ingredients industries that spans more than 19 years.

“We welcome Ryan to the position of COO,” Mr. Briess continued. “Ryan shares our culture and values, and I’m excited about the future of Briess with Ryan at the helm.”