Quarterlytics / Basic Materials / Agricultural Inputs / American Vanguard Corporation / FY2014 Annual Report

American Vanguard Corporation
Annual Report 2014

AVD · NYSE Basic Materials
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Ticker AVD
Exchange NYSE
Sector Basic Materials
Industry Agricultural Inputs
Employees 845
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FY2014 Annual Report · American Vanguard Corporation
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AMERICAN VANGUARD FORGES AHEAD 

Dear Shareholders,

At this time each year we comment on prior year performance and update investors on current prospects. 2014 was a 
very challenging period for American Vanguard and many of our industry peers. As we move forward, our company is well-
positioned to achieve success with many important growth initiatives. 

Our performance in 2014 was significantly influenced by soft market conditions for corn products in the Midwest distribution 
channel. For a variety of reasons large quantities of these products became stockpiled at distributors, retailers and growers. 
These large carryover inventories prompted a sharp reduction in restocking orders, as our customers allowed excess 
supplies to be worked down. Reduced sales of our corn products was the primary driver of our 2014 revenue decline; 
offsetting the stability and modest growth of our sales in other crop segments.

As a result of the temporary decline in market demand for our corn products, we were compelled to throttle back production 
in our manufacturing operations. Reduced utilization rates inevitably meant that some of the fixed costs of these facilities 
could not be fully covered. Such cost “under-absorption” is reflected in our income statements, contributing to lower earnings 
in 2014. We are confident that future increases in production volume will help reverse this negative effect on earnings.

Looking forward, we expect many factors to contribute to improved operating and financial performance.

The excess inventory of our corn products in the distribution channel has declined significantly, and we believe that 
going forward normalized procurement patterns will resume. The Midwest corn market continues to experience expansion 
and intensification of glyphosate resistant weeds and GMO resistant soil insects. These trends increase the need for 
our post-emergent corn herbicide Impact® and granular soil insecticides that utilize our proprietary SmartBox® closed 
delivery systems.

Management has taken significant steps to streamline manufacturing costs and reduce operating expenses through 
workforce reductions, compensation adjustments and vendor contract renegotiations. These proactive measures will enable 
us to attain greater operating efficiency while continuing to make important progress on product innovation and equipment 
system development. We are also pursuing an international expansion initiative with the recent acquisition of Nemacur® 
nematicides in Europe and will be actively exploring additional opportunities to increase our global market participation.  

Over  > > >

 
American Vanguard will continue to aggressively pursue innovation and diversification:  

•  Our product development and regulatory personnel have been instrumental in creating new 
liquid soil insecticides, concentrated granular soil insecticides and a superior potato sprout 
inhibitor. The world-class proficiency in formulation that we possess is a key element in 
achieving a sustainable business in crop protection chemistry.

•  We will move forward with a game-changing initiative to enhance the capabilities of our industry-

leading closed delivery equipment. This advanced system for the deployment of multi-functional crop 
protection and plant nutrition products has the potential to become the industry standard for providing 
prescription seed treatments at the time of planting.

•  AMVAC has traditionally prospered by providing proven, yield-enhancing products that 
address critical crop protection requirements that are not adequately addressed by 
other methods; such as genetically modified seed or various seed coatings. Through 
acquisition, licensing, technology development and international expansion we will grow 
both our product portfolio and our global market presence.

We continue to attract top-notch talent to our business. By focusing their skills on enhancing growth and profitability, we 
strongly believe that the future of this company is very promising. Management and the Board of Directors appreciate the 
support of our customers, business partners and equity shareholders as we propel American Vanguard to greater success.

Eric G. Wintemute
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer

DIRECTORS

OffICERS

CORpORATE 

AnnuAl mEETInG

Eric G. Wintemute
Chairman
Elected in 1994

Carl R. Soderlind
Elected in 2000

Lawrence S. Clark
Elected in 2006

John L. Killmer
Elected in 2008

Alfred F. Ingulli
Elected in 2010

American Vanguard Corporation
Eric G. Wintemute
Chief Executive Officer

David T. Johnson
Chief Financial Officer / VP / Treasurer

Timothy J. Donnelly
Chief Administrative Officer
General Counsel / Secretary

AMVAC Chemical Corporation
Bob Trogele
Chief Operating Officer / EVP

Esmail Zirakparvar
Elected in 2010

Glen D. Johnson
SVP Director of Business Development 

Debra Edwards
Elected in 2011

Morton D. Erlich
Elected in 2013

Scott D. Baskin
Elected in 2014

Cindy Baker-Smith
SVP of Regulatory & Product Development

Robert F. Gilbane
President of GemChem, Inc.

Ad de Jong
International Managing Director

Executive Offices
American Vanguard Corporation
4695 MacArthur Court
Suite 1200
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 260-1200

Investor Relations
William A. Kuser
Director of Investor Relations
and Corporate Communications
(949) 260-1200

Independent Auditors
BDO USA, LLP
Los Angeles, California

The Annual Meeting of 
American Vanguard Corporation’s 
stockholders will be held at the 
Hilton Irvine on Wednesday, 
June 3, 2015 at 11:00am. 
The Hilton Irvine is located at 
18800 MacArthur Boulevard, 
Irvine, CA  92612. Stockholders 
of record at the close of business 
April 15, 2015 are entitled to 
notice of, and to vote at, the Annual 
Meeting. Stockholders who plan 
to attend the Annual Meeting are 
encouraged to RSVP using the 
contact information shown on the 
front page of the proxy statement.

Proudly Made in the USA

American Vanguard believes in contributing 
to a sustainable planet. This annual report is 
printed on recycled paper from responsibly 
managed sources.