Former Kemin Health President Dies

DES MOINES, IowaFormer Kemin Health president and FloraGLO® Lutein inventor, Rod Ausich, died June 25 after a courageous battle with cancer. 

Ausich was president of Kemin Health until late 2009, when his health began to deteriorate. He is credited with realizing luteins benefits for eye health in combating age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and pioneering a new methodology for the development of purified lutein still used at Kemin today.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Rod Ausich, said Chris Nelson, Ph.D., Kemin Industries president and CEO.  Rod was a true pioneer in the fight against blindness caused by AMD.  A founding father of Kemin Health, his leadership and guidance led Kemin Health to become a preeminent supplier of Lutein worldwide. Millions of people have benefited from his work and his legacy will be remembered by many.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children in this difficult time.

Ausich is survived by his wife, Becki, and his two children, Brandyn and Evan.

Ausich joined Kemin in 1994 as the director of research and development for Kemin Industries.  After he realized luteins benefits for eye health, a separate business unit was formed, Kemin Health, to focus on the commercialization of FloraGLO Lutein. 

Prior to joining Kemin, Ausich worked for Amoco Corporation for nearly 14 years as a research scientist.  He received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Wyoming and a graduate degree and Ph.D. in plant sciences from Indiana University.  He also received a Master of Business Administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management while at Amoco Corporation.

Ausich authored seven published and five pending patents. He was also an active member of the Des Moines community serving on the Board of Directors of Mercy College, and ultimately Chairman of that Board for four years.