ATCHISON, Kan., Aug. 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney and environmental health and safety leader Randy Simmons has joined MGP Ingredients, Inc., (Nasdaq: MGPI) in the new role of corporate director of Environmental Health and Safety. He will represent the company with regulatory agencies and champion the employee-driven SafetyUp process, while assuming overall responsibility for EHS managers and their teams.

Randy Simmons is the new corporate director of EHS at MGP Ingredients, Inc.

Simmons comes to MGP from Bartlett & Co. in Kansas City, Mo., where he was senior corporate counsel for more than seven years. As lead attorney for the Agricultural Inputs Division, he handled regulatory permitting, reporting and environmental compliance across a number of federal programs such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and others. He was responsible for all EHS compliance and emergency management programs and site security and food safety. In this role, he conducted internal audits at 43 facilities and administered risk management and loss control programs, along with training on environment and safety protocols.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Randy’s expertise to help take the excellent EHS work our teams have accomplished in recent years to the next level,” said Thomas J. Lynn, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. “MGP believes that employee safety and the well-being of our communities are critical priorities.”

Prior to his work with Bartlett, Simmons was director of Regulatory Affairs at Russell Stover Candies, where he developed and implemented EHS compliance programs for five manufacturing facilities and directed regulatory compliance and reporting, corporate security and continuous improvement programs. He developed and implemented hazardous materials handling protocols and waste management protocols.

He held a similar role as EHS director and risk manager for Schwan’s Global Supply Chain, Inc. in Salina, Kan., where he was a member of the Kansas Regional Incident Management Team, the EPA Region VII Pollution Prevention Institute Outreach Steering Committee, and the Local Emergency Planning Commission.

Simmons also has served as counsel for Abilene Machine Inc., the Triple-I Corp., and ADM Milling Co. He received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management from Oklahoma State University; his Juris Doctor, from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Computer Science from Marymount College. In addition, he has completed numerous OSHA training courses.

About MGP
Founded in 1941, MGP (Nasdaq: MGPI) is a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits and specialty wheat proteins and starches. Distilled spirits include bourbon and rye whiskeys, gins and vodkas, which are carefully crafted through a combination of art and science backed by a long history of experience. The company's proteins and starches are created in the same manner and provide a host of functional, nutritional and sensory benefits for a wide range of food products. MGP additionally is a top producer of high quality industrial alcohol for use in both food and non-food applications. The company is headquartered in Atchison, Kansas, where distilled alcohol products and food ingredients are produced. Premium spirits are also distilled and matured at the company’s facility in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. For more information, visit mgpingredients.com.

Media Contact: Jenell Loschke, 913.360.5403
jenell.loschke@mgpingredients.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1138e6c3-3717-4abc-97d0-b1d6eacdeb3a.

Source: MGP Ingredients, Inc.