Description

Join us for an open conversation with Gage Kent, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and third generation leader of KENT Corporation. KENT was named US Best-Managed Family Business for the fifth year in a row. What sets them apart from other privately-held firms? Learn more about their corporate environment and family values during this Q&A session on Thursday, August 29, at 8 a.m. CST.

With origins in the livestock feed business, today KENT Corporation is a diversified, family-owned company headquartered in Muscatine, with operating subsidiaries involved in corn wet milling, the production of animal feeds, and the manufacture of food, beverage, and pet products. KENT serves customers across the world and employs approximately two thousand people in 40 locations across 20 states and seven countries.

About Gage Kent

Mr. Gage A. Kent is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of KENT® Corporation. Based in Muscatine, Iowa, KENT is the parent company of Grain Processing Corporation (Corn Wet Milling); KENT Nutrition Group, Inc. (Animal Nutrition Products); KENT Pet Group, Inc. (Pet Products); and KENT Precision Foods Group, Inc. (Seasonings, Dry Blended Foods, and Hydration Products).

KENT was founded in 1927, with origins in commercial livestock feed. Today, KENT has grown from those humble beginnings to become a multi-national, award winning, fourth-generation family business, serving the worldwide food, beverage and ingredients, agriculture and pet care markets. KENT maintains 28 manufacturing locations across four countries with sales and technical offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Mr. Kent is a native of Muscatine, Iowa, and a graduate of Iowa State University from which he holds a bachelor’s degree in business marketing.

Locally, Mr. Kent is a founding member (and past Chairman) of the Muscatine Charities, Inc. Board of Directors; and a past member (and past Chairman) of the Board for the Muscatine Power and Water public utility. Throughout his career, Mr. Kent has chaired and been involved in many Muscatine community organizations, such as the Sheltered Workshop, United Way and more. He is also a member of various social and fraternal organizations.

On the state level, Mr. Kent served 27 years on the Board of Trustees of Simpson College (Indianola, Iowa) where he received an Honorary Doctorate. He is a member and former Chair of the Board of Governors of the Iowa College Foundation; and he is a member of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Mr. Kent is a founding member, and past Chairman of the Board, of America’s Cultivation Corridor. He is also a member and past Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Business College at Iowa State University. Mr. Kent currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Iowa Business Council and was inaugural chair of the Business Education Alliance. In 2023, Mr. Kent was commissioned as an Honorary Iowa Colonel of the Militia.

On the national level, Mr. Kent serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers.

Mr. Kent and his wife Geri, have four children and two grandchildren.

About the Best Managed Companies Program

The Best Managed Companies program is a mark of excellence for private companies. U.S. designees have revenues of at least $250 million. Thousands of private companies around the world have competed for this designation in their respective countries through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates four key criteria in their management skills and practices — strategy, execution, culture, and governance/financials. For more information, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com.