Marc Mears

Marc grew up on a small family farm in New England where his passion for agriculture and a fondness of rural communities was nurtured from a young age.  He left New England at the age of 17 to attend school at Texas A&M University where he earned a BS degree in Agricultural Systems Management.  While Marc and his wife treasure their New England roots, they have lived and worked in the West and Midwest for the past 32 years and consider themselves to be Midwesterners. 

Marc is the Chief Operating Officer for AgState, the organization formed through the merger of First Coop Association and Alceco/AgPartners in September 2021.  Before joining AgState, Marc served for 30 years in various managerial, commercial, and operational roles in Cargill, including Vice President of Operations for North America Grain, Cotton, and Crop Inputs.  Marc’s additional experience includes service on numerous boards of for-profit Ag businesses, as well as volunteer service on several non-profit boards.  Throughout his career, Marc has developed a deep appreciation for the importance of values, particularly the value of Safety, in leading and building teams and organizations.