Denver / CO. (phm) PHM Brands, a vertically integrated agricultural and biotechnology company and owner of multiple subsidiaries, including growing flour miller «Panhandle Milling», announced that Gina Steffens, PHM Brands former Chief Legal Officer, would be succeeding John Mason and Bryan Ledgerwood as PHM Brands’ Chief Executive Officer.
Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board and Managing Director for PHM Brands, Bryan Ledgerwood, commented, «Gina’s economics first and results driven approach, coupled with her close relationship with John and I, make her a natural fit to take PHM Brands to the next level. We couldn’t be more excited that she will be leading our company in this role.» Steffens vocalized her praise for the team of experienced professionals she will continue to work alongside, saying, «I am thrilled to be leading PHM Brands in this capacity, and with a team that includes some of the best in the industry, the future for our company as we continue to grow is very bright.» Co-founder John Mason, who, like Ledgerwood, has transitioned into a Managing Director capacity for PHM, shared his excitement in a company-wide message to PHM Brands’ employees, «Bryan and I are energized about this natural handoff of the baton to Gina, which aligns with our broader company vision and goals.» Ledgerwood commented further, «John and I will remain in lockstep with Gina, who by stepping into this role, is creating space for us to focus on macro-enterprise opportunities and manage investor relationships.»
Steffens, who has held leadership positions in publicly traded companies during periods of aggressive growth, shared that «PHM Brands has grown rapidly, reaching the point where the organization must shift focus towards building a sustainable and scalable structure that is designed to support PHM Brands’ continued growth well into the future.» An executive with more than two decades of professional experience and a proven developer and leader of high performing teams and organizations, Steffens’ perspective has already directionally impacted company decisions this year as she tackles restructuring the suite of companies PHM owns. Her strategy: «We have recently been more vocal that we are returning our focus to our core, which is flour milling. And, while our family of agricultural and biotechnology-based companies complement each other, we will be strategically restructuring the enterprise to return priority to the core and focus on expansion in that space. It has been and will continue to be a very exciting time for us, and we need to ensure we are setting ourselves up structurally in the most efficient, sustainable and scalable ways.»
Mason provided additional context around the restructure, «PHM Brands’ Panhandle Milling, Energis Solutions and Viobin companies have each built brands that are leaders in their respective industries, and it is time for each company to have dedicated leadership teams who will focus on continuing to build their own platforms.»
Leadership and organizational changes for any growing company are a part of the journey and not surprising for PHM Brands, which has experienced tremendous growth since inception in 2016. «It continues to be an eventful time for us, but these latest developments are already providing us with both the stability and momentum that we need,» said Jennifer Harnish, PHM Brands Chief Human Resources Officer and incoming Treasurer on the IAOM Board. Peter Bisaccia, PHM Brands President, followed up Harnish’s comments with, «Our leadership team knows Gina and is familiar with her style and leadership capabilities. These are all positive changes for PHM Brands and this structure will best support the company’s future growth and success.» Steffens responded with, «We have current strategic projects in full swing that will restructure PHM Brands while expanding our footprint, market reach and industry partnerships. And, I have to say that leading our exceptional team has already been the highlight for me.»
