Sustaining Sponsor Spotlight: Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., a CGB Enterprises, Inc. (CGB) Company

The Ohio AgriBusiness Association is pleased to feature our Sustaining Sponsors in the 2022 Spotlight Series. This week, the focus is on Platinum Sponsor: Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., a CGB Enterprises, Inc. (CGB) Company.

Location (Main Headquarters): Covington, LA

Year started: 1969

Number of employees: 1,000

Number of facilities: 115

Type of services offered: Grain marketing, risk management and transportation services for farmers

Company history: Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., a CGB Enterprises, Inc. company, was founded in 1969 and is known as an innovative and progressive leader in the grain and transportation industries. Today, CGB Enterprises, Inc. operates an enterprise with a vast network of elevators and over 1,500 U.S. employees overseeing a diverse family of businesses that provide an array of services for producers and logistics services for an international base of customers.

How has your company changed over the years? In 1969, Bob Frane, CGB’s founder, identified a better way to trade barge freight by merchandising tariff rates. With just three employees in St. Louis, MO, this innovative idea fueled by a strong entrepreneurial spirit led to the creation of Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., thereby revolutionizing the barge freight industry.

Over the course of the next several years, CGB continued to grow and expand its business by becoming a grain trading company. In the early 1970s, CGB entered the grain business in a more traditional manner by purchasing property on the Illinois River. Through several more purchases and acquisitions, CGB became a strong, diverse company with strategic locations throughout the Midwest and beyond.

Since its inception more than 50 years ago, CGB has continuously embraced the principles of innovation and entrepreneurship. It’s no secret that we are driven by an entrepreneurial spirit. It has enabled us to constantly push new boundaries and enter new markets to better support our customers.

Today, the company is headquartered in Covington, LA and, in addition to grain facilities, has sizable operations in logistics and transportation, agri-finance, soybean processing, producer risk management, and other related businesses. Visit us online at www.cgb.com to learn more.

How do you see your company growing in the future? Growth will be realized by fostering an inclusive work environment, where all team members are encouraged and empowered to contribute, grow and belong. We will maintain a sharp focus on sustainability and targeted innovation to ensure continued success for years to come.

How has OABA helped your business or the agribusiness industry? OABA is our primary resource for legislative issues both statewide and nationally. OABA staff are constantly on top of any issues being discussed at the State House that could have an impact on the Agriculture Industry.

Interested in becoming a Sustaining Sponsor in 2023? 

Click here to learn more about the program or contact Lauren Prettyman at lprettyman@oaba.net. Sustaining sponsors will automatically be promoted as such at all 2023 OABA events and will not be approached for sponsorship opportunities throughout the year. 

Note that because the OABA Educational Trust is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, sponsorships related to this trust are separate from OABA.