Leadership Team

Jeff Van Pevenage

President and CEO

Jeff Van Pevenage, CEO of Columbia Grain International (CGI)  brings profound expertise in agricultural trading and management, leading his team to build CGI into the largest U.S. company for processing and distributing peas, lentils, and dry beans in addition to being a major small grains and feed grains company.

Jeff began his career with Columbia Grain International in 1990, trading commodities in Colfax, Washington, while finishing his senior year at Washington State University. In 1993, he moved to Great Falls, Montana, focusing on durum, oats, and barley trading for six years. By 1999, Jeff was managing seed and pulse businesses in Pullman, Washington, and Moscow, Idaho, and overseeing barge operations along the Snake River at Central Ferry.  Returning to Great Falls in 2005, he launched CGI’s Montana Pulse business and soon became Head of the Pulse Division in 2006. Jeff’s success in trading and leadership earned him promotions to Vice President and Regional Manager in 2008, then Senior Vice President in 2013, and finally President and CEO in 2016. Under his guidance, CGI expanded into consumer goods, launching Enrich Foods, LLC, and acquiring Great River Milling.

He has served as past president of the Pacific Northwest and Montana Grain Elevator Associations and has sat on the executive board of the National Grain & Feed Association. He is also on the board of directors for the Global Pulse Confederation, where he promotes pulse production and consumption worldwide.

Jeff has summited Mount Kilimanjaro, Granite Peak in Montana, and Mount Rainier five times. Now based in Portland, Oregon, Jeff’s career and personal pursuits reflect his dedication to excellence, growth, and a lasting commitment to the agriculture industry.

Kurt Haarmann

Chief Commercial Officer

Kurt Haarmann is the Chief Commercial Officer for Columbia Grain International. Kurt has worked in the grain handling and export industry since 1993, which was when he joined the company  in Colfax, WA. He has experience in the full cycle of procurement, export sales, execution and operations management. In 1995, Kurt was transferred to the corporate headquarters in Portland, OR. He traded Hard Red Winter and Hard Red Spring Wheat for export from 1996 to 2014, while also managing the central hedge desk for the company from 2008 to 2014. In 2014, he moved to Pacificor, LLC to become the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Wheat Product Line Manager. In July 2018, he returned to Columbia Grain to assume his current role and lead a reorganization of the Grain Division.

Andres Cardena

CFO

Andres has spent the last 28 years working in the agriculture industry and brings a wealth of experience and talent to his role as CFO. He began his agriculture career as a controller for Cargill in Mexico in 1994 and went on to hold many finance leadership positions within the company, working in Latin America, North America, and Asia Pacific. He worked as a country, regional and global controller across a diverse range of categories including animal nutrition, grain and oilseeds, animal protein, as well as Cargill Financial Business and Treasury. Furthermore, Andres served as Cargill Corporate Audit Director for the grain and oilseeds platform. Andres took his final assignment with Cargill in 2018 to lead the SAP implementation project in Mexico. After 24 years with Cargill, he took a position as the CFO of Attebury Grain LLC in Texas where he oversaw the leadership team during the business model transformation project and then became their CEO.

Tomohiro Kozakai

VP of Business Development

Tomohiro Kozakai has worked for Columbia Grain International since 2016. Tomohiro started his career with the Japanese Investment Bank, and prior to joining Columbia Grain International, LLC he worked for the Marubeni Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate company and shareholder of Columbia Grain International. Tomohiro brings more than 10 years of Merger & Acquisition experience within the food and grain industry. He oversees Columbia Grain International Business Development programs; focusing on corporate optimization, merger & acquisition dealings, and corporate insurance programs.

Sergio Hernandez

Vice President, Operations

Sergio Hernandez has more than 23 years of agriculture experience, working with a variety of ag commodities. He has a strong background in operations and leadership, and is passionate about ensuring Columbia Grain works as a team to accomplish its short and long-term goals. He has worked with grain companies over the years, gaining valuable experience which has strengthened his leadership skills for the betterment of our employees and company. He oversees grain and pulse facilities throughout CGI’s eastern U.S. region. He has amassed several years of multi-location responsibility that has helped him as the Vice President of Operations over the past couple of years.

Scott McIntosh

VP of Special Project Advisory

Scott McIntosh started his career in the grain industry in 1983 with McIntosh Grain & Feed. He began his career with Columbia Grain International in 1990, working in Chinook and Harlem, Montana as an Elevator Manager. With the knowledge he gained in his 22 years at those locations, Scott became the Operations Manager for the Montana Division, a position he held from 2013 to 2016. He is currently VP of Special Project Advisory for Columbia Grain. Scott has a unique perspective on effective facility management. He brings value, leadership, and training to the Columbia Grain team.

Brian Britt

Assistant Vice President/Regional Manager West

Brian Britt has amassed 27 years in the ag business and has worked with Columbia Grain for 25 years. He’s spent most of his career managing country elevators and pulse processing plants in the Golden Triangle of Montana. In 2020, Brian accepted the role of Business Execution Manager of Montana before assuming his latest role as Assistant VP. Brian believes the key to success in the grain business is building strong relationships with growers and being adaptable to the ever-changing ag industry.