On August 29, 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.

The event featured tributes to the company’s rich history of innovation, science and entrepreneurship as a leader in improving the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products in a global market. More than 600 attendees toured the building, enjoyed food from all of the Kemin global locations and heard 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, president and CEO of Kemin. “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 $30 million investment, completes a five-year, $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.

The event focused on the 56-year-old company’s history of science-based innovation in improving the quality, safety, and efficacy of food, feed and health-related product development. With manufacturing plants in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the US, and more than 80 other countries, Kemin has a portfolio of more than 500 specialty health, nutrition, and cosmeceutical ingredients for humans and animals.

Since 1961 when the company was founded by R.W. and Mary Nelson, 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.

Kemin’s food and nutrition technologies serve the beverage, dairy, confectionary, meat, and other prepared product industries, while supporting cognitive health, vision, and “Active wellness.”