By JORDAN STRICKLER Kentucky Correspondent NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Pearse Lyons, founder of the international agribusiness and beverage giant Alltech, died March 8 at the age of 73 from complications following heart surgery on Nov. 1, 2017. The Irish-born Kentuckian created the Nicholasville-based company in 1980 with $10,000 and turned it into an organization worth $3 billion. Alltech is a leading producer and processor of yeast additives, organic trace minerals, feed ingredients, premix and feed. “Dr. Lyons was a visionary entrepreneur who transformed the agriculture industry, beginning with his innovative application of yeast technology in animal nutrition,” said Alric Blake, CEO and treasurer of Alltech. “From farm to field, from market to family dinner table, our world is immeasurably better because he was a man who never saw problems – only a challenge that not yet been solved.” The business stated it has 80 offices in 130 countries worldwide, with more than 5,000 employees and is continuously at the forefront of agriculture technology. At the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. Trade Show in Phoenix earlier this year, Butch Whitman, an Alltech beef nutritionist, said mineral management technology and Alltech’s work in that sector were reaching new heights. Alltech’s Center for Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition is researching new ways at how nutrients impact the expression of animal genes. That includes those nutrients which are essential for genes that control properties such as the immune system and animal health, feed digestion, growth feed efficiency and fat and muscling composition at the cellular level. Alltech has also been looking into how artificial intelligence, 3-D printing, drones, robots, augmented and virtual reality, sensor technology and blockchain – a decentralized database system that enables Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to be exchanged – can be used to change the landscape of the feed and animal production industries. “When he founded Alltech in 1980, Kentucky agriculture changed forever,” said state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles. “The institution he built, the jobs he created and his boundless zeal for our state lit a spark that spread into a wildfire of innovation for Kentucky agriculture, from animal feed to our beverage, fuel and industrial alcohol industries. “A dear mentor of mine, he taught me the importance of continuous self-improvement and served as a role model and inspiration.” Lyons’ son, Dr. Mark Lyons, global vice president and head of Greater China, will take up the reins as chair and president, and Alltech will remain privately held under the ownership of the family. Mark’s sister, Dr. Aoife Lyons, is global director of educational initiatives, and their mother, Deirdre, is company co-founder and director of corporate image and design. Mark has served as a board member of the American Feed Industry Assoc. and is active in many industry groups, such as the International Poultry Council, National Turkey Federation, National Chicken Council and the National Pork Producers Council. He is also vice president of the Soil and Fertilizer Alliance of China and is a committee member of the China Toxicology Assoc. “By 2030, 3 billion to 5 billion more people around the world will have new access to the internet,” wrote Lyons in a May 11, 2017, op-ed to the Lexington Herald-Leader. “What does this mean? How are agriculture, food and business changing in a world of Big Data? “As we gain speed and convenience in making our food choices, what’s been lost? What are the megatrends? What types of technologies are developing, and what changes will they bring? We must … embrace risky, radical transformations that re-imagine our businesses and way of life.” Lyons received his bachelor’s degree from University College Dublin, Ireland, graduating with first-class honors. He continued into postgraduate study at the British School of Malting and Brewing in Birmingham, United Kingdom, where he gained masters and doctoral degrees in brewing science from the University of Birmingham. He interned at the Guinness and Harp Lager breweries and later worked as a biochemist for Irish Distillers, makers of Jameson whiskey. He was instrumental in designing Ireland’s Midleton Distillery for Jameson, an opportunity which he considered to be a highlight of his early career. Funeral masses will be in Lexington on March 17 and in Dublin in April; public visitation in Lexington will be March 16. A special celebration of life will be held May 20 at the beginning of ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington. Arrangements are being handled by Milward Funeral Directors and details will be updated online at https://go.alltech.com/pearselyons |
