ATCHISON, Kan., August 1, 2011—MGP Ingredients, Inc. (MGPI) has announced the promotion of Brian Wright to manager of distillery operations. In his new role, Wright is responsible for leading plant operations at the Atchison, Kan. distillery. One of his primary job responsibilities is to drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance plant efficiencies. Wright is responsible for scheduling the day-to-day production of the various grades of alcohol produced by MGPI in Atchison.

“We are delighted by Brian’s promotion,” said Steve Glaser, plant manager of the company’s Atchison facility. “Since coming to MGPI, Brian has shown remarkable technical skill, excellent judgment and strong business acumen.  His hands-on style and strong work ethic have earned him the respect of all who work with him.  We look forward to Brian’s continued effectiveness in improving distillery uptime, pursuing operational excellence and helping us exceed our business objectives.”

Wright joined MGPI in November 2010 as a process engineer in distillery operations. Just prior to that, he worked for over three years at Abengoa Bioenergy Corporation’s Ravenna, Neb. operation.  There he served as plant engineer/maintenance manager, which entailed providing support in successfully bringing a new ethanol plant online. In 1998, he began working for Becton Dickinson, Holdrege, Neb., as technology engineer/process engineer for seven years. Wright worked for Intel Corporation, Rio Rancho, N.M., for two years as a process engineer/facilities engineer. In this role, he was responsible for all aspects of installation and qualification of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactors.

Wright, a native of Overland Park, Kan., has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Kansas, Lawrence. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from the BD/Juran Institute.