
MUSCATINE, Iowa – Kevin Fields, a longtime KENT Corp. senior executive and board member, has been appointed the company’s new president and chief operating officer, Chairman and CEO Gage Kent announced in a news release today, July 18.

Mr. Fields, who assumed the new role on June 21, succeeds John Thorpe, who has announced his retirement effective Jan. 1, 2025.
This year, Mr. Thorpe marks 22 years with the family business. During his tenure, Mr. Thorpe’s “participation in the leadership of KENT has brought us to new levels of success,” Mr. Kent added.
His successor, Mr. Fields is an Iowa native with more than 30 years of success and diversified experience across the manufacturing industry. Most recently, he has served as company president and chief administrative officer. He was responsible for managing all shared business services as KENT expanded its product portfolio globally.
Previously, Mr. Fields led the formation of KENT Pet Group, where he served as president for three years. Last year, the Pet Group broke ground on a new $80 million manufacturing facility in Muscatine, where it will produce cat litter.
Joined KENT in 1998
Before that, Mr. Fields served as president of Blue Seal Feeds, a prominent livestock nutrition company in the eastern United States, from 2008 to 2010. Mr. Fields joined the KENT Family of Companies in 1998 as director of purchasing for Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) and held numerous leadership positions.
He is a 1984 graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in industrial technology and manufacturing. After graduation, Mr. Fields joined Rockwell International for 13 months before going to work at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., where he spent 13 years in purchasing. Mr. Fields has a Master’s of Business Administration from Drake University.
In the release, the company credits Mr. Fields for being instrumental in KENT’s designation as a five-time consecutive U.S. Best Managed Company. Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes private companies, with at least $250 million in revenue, for excellence in strategy, execution, financials and culture.
Throughout his career, Mr. Fields has prioritized giving back to the community serving on the United Way of Muscatine Board of Directors; Geneva Golf and Country Club Board of Directors (president and Finance Committee member); the American Feed Industry Association Board of Directors and Executive Committee; and the Muscatine Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Today, Mr. Fields serves on the boards of Muscatine Power & Water and Mazen Animal Health. He and his wife Heidi live in Muscatine.