Meet Our People

Innovative people, bringing innovative ideas

Every day, the people of Horizon Milling carry out our commitment to discovering, creating and delivering distinctive value for our customers and stakeholders.

The key leaders within Horizon Milling bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Meet some of our key leaders:

Mark L. Palmquist
Guy R. Shoemaker
George Schember

Mark L. Palmquist Horizon Milling Board Member

Mark Palmquist serves on the board of directors for Horizon Milling. He is executive vice president and chief operating officer for CHS Inc. Palmquist is responsible for all grain-related business units including country operations, terminal operations, exports, logistics, transportation, merchandising and grain marketing. He leads CHS grain processing and foods groups, specifically wheat milling, oilseed processing and refining, and packaged foods.

With CHS since 1979, Palmquist started out as a grain buyer and shortly moved into grain merchandising. There, he traded a number of commodities including corn, soybeans and spring wheat. In 1990, Palmquist was promoted to vice president and director of the grain marketing division. In 1993, he was named senior vice president of that area.

Palmquist graduated in 1979 from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. He also attended the Masters of Business Administration program at the University of Minnesota.

Guy R. Shoemaker Horizon Milling President and Board Member

Guy R. Shoemaker was named president of Horizon Milling in January 2002. He had been president of Cargill North America Flour Milling since September 1998. He is currently responsible for management of the 20 Horizon Milling flour mills. In October 2004 Mr. Shoemaker was elected to a two year term as Chairman of the North American Millers' Association (NAMA).

Shoemaker was employed by Seaboard Allied Milling Co. when Cargill acquired it in 1982. After holding various accounting, merchandising and general management positions with Cargill Flour Milling in Texas, Kansas, New York and Minnesota, he was named general manager of Kansas Flour Mills in 1989. He was named assistant vice president and Southwest Geography manager for the Cargill Grain Division in Kansas City in 1992 and he was named assistant vice president of the Poultry Products Division in Dawson, Georgia, in 1994. In March 1996, he was appointed vice president of Cargill's Dry Milling Division and general manager of U.S. Flour Milling, with responsibility for Cargill's U.S. flour mills.

Shoemaker is a graduate of Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, Missouri, with a BSBA degree in accounting.

George Schember Vice President - Commercial Manager Order Fulfillment, Horizon Milling

George Schember was appointed vice president-commercial manager order fulfillment of Horizon Milling in June 2005. In this position, he is responsible for all Horizon Milling operations, merchandising, supply chain and customer service activities.

Schember joined Cargill as a merchant in 1984. Prior to his current role he has held various management positions, ranging from product line manager to vice president- regional general manager, in Horizon Milling.

Schember is a member of the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church and a mentor in the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA) program. He is the former chairman of the Wheat Quality Council and was a member of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. Schember graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul, MN, with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Patrick S. Rogers Vice President, Horizon Milling

Patrick Rogers was named vice president of sales for Cargill's flour-milling businesses in June 2005. Rogers began his career at Cargill in June 1984, serving in merchandising and sales for the company's sweeteners business unit in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1985, he joined Cargill's flour business in Kansas, Mo., as a sales representative. After a six-year stint at Cargill serving as district and then regional sales manager, Rogers joined National Oats in Cedar Rapids in September 1991. He returned to Cargill's flour business in September 1993 as its regional sales manager in Mankato, Minn. In 1995, Rogers moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., and then to Minneapolis, Minn., in 1997 as Cargill flour's value chain initiative manager. Rogers was named assistant vice president in June 2001 and subsequently vice president in June 2003.

Rogers serves on the executive leadership development committee of the American Bakers Association. He also serves on Horizon Milling's community action council. Rogers is a member of the Cargill Cares Volunteer Council in Minneapolis and is currently serving as chair of its recognition committee. His other community activities include mentoring middle-school students, volunteering for Meals on Wheels and teaching children at church.

Rogers oversees strategic accounts for Horizon Milling. His responsibilities include overseeing Horizon Milling's risk management offerings, private-label grocery-flour business, and its commercial big-bag distribution business.

Rogers holds a bachelors of Science degree in agricultural business from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.