Richardson establishes overseas offices to expand its global reach

WINNIPEG, CANADA, Oct. 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Richardson International Limited is expanding its grains and oilseeds merchandising team by establishing international subsidiaries in Europe and Asia to enhance its ability to serve existing customers and develop relationships with new customers in overseas markets.

"With the open market for wheat and barley and the acquisition of 19 new grain facilities across Western Canada, our volumes have grown significantly over the last year and will continue to grow," says Brent Watchorn, Executive Vice-President, Marketing. "Looking to the future, we want to establish a permanent presence for the Richardson group of companies in key international markets to be closer to our evolving customer base and make the most of opportunities to expand our global reach."

Joining Richardson's team are Boon Guay and Emmanuel Karrer. Boon Guay will be working out of Singapore as Director, Marketing-Asia. He has more than 20 years of merchandising experience having worked for such companies as AWB-Cargill, GSM Trading Ltd, and most recently with GrainCorp. Emmanuel Karrer will be working in the European market as Director, Marketing-Europe based out of Geneva, Switzerland. He has 20 years of merchandising experience working for companies such as Champagne Cereales, Thywissen, and most recently CHS.

Richardson has had a presence in Asia for the last three years with a merchandising subsidiary in Hong Kong. These two new entities in Singapore and Geneva will enhance Richardson's ability to service new and existing customers in overseas markets.

"We are always looking for opportunities to expand our business and cultivate new relationships with buyers around the world," says Watchorn. "These two offices will give us the opportunity to build a stronger presence in Europe and Asia and will ultimately help us to bring more Canadian products to markets around the world."

Richardson International is Canada's largest agribusiness and recognized as a global leader in agriculture and food processing. Based in Winnipeg, Richardson is a worldwide handler and merchandiser of all major Canadian-grown grains and oilseeds and a vertically-integrated processor and manufacturer of oats and canola-based products. One of Canada's Best Managed Companies, Richardson has over 2,400 employees across Canada and the U.S.