The Recent COO Appointment at The Andersons may Signal an Upcoming CEO Transition

The Andersons (NASDAQ: ANDE)  announced that Harold Reed, who has served as President of the company’s Grain & Ethanol Group since 2001, has been appointed to the newly created position of COO effective 1-Jan-12. Current CEO Michael Anderson was appointed Chief Executive after serving as COO. Therefore, the appointment of Reed as COO may signal an upcoming CEO transition.

If history repeats itself, don't expect a transition soon. Michael Anderson has been CEO since 1999. His transition from COO to CEO occurred 3 years into his tenure as COO.