Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> June 28, 2004
KIRK MORTON is President and Chief Executive Officer of Key Technology,
Inc. Mr. Morton leads Key Technology with nearly two decades of sales
and management experience in the agricultural and food processing
industries. He joined the company in January 1999 as Senior Vice
President of Sales and Marketing, with responsibility for Key's
worldwide sales network as well as overall responsibility for Key's
European operating subsidiary, Key Technology B.V. Two years later, in
February 2001, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer
with responsibility for all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the
company, both foreign and domestic. Mr. Morton was appointed President
and Chief Executive Officer in August 2003. Prior to joining Key, he
served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Stein, Inc., a
business unit of FMC Corporation that produces frying, coating and
cooking equipment for the food industry worldwide, and as Director of
Sales and Marketing in the Citrus Processing division of FMC.
Previously, he served in a number of other management positions with FMC
Corporation and Ford Motor Company's Tractor Operations. Key Technology,
headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington, is a worldwide leader in the
design and manufacture of process automation systems for food processing
and industrial markets. Key has several manufacturing facilities in
Washington and Oregon, as well as a facility in the Netherlands, and
maintains sales and services offices all over the world. Mr. Morton is a
1983 graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics. In 1993, he received an
MBA from Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the
University of Virginia. Mr. Morton serves on the board of directors of
the local YMCA, and is a member of the finance committee of that
organization. He is also a member of the Walla Walla College School of
Business Advisory Council. Profile
overview of your operations?
Mr. Morton: To give you the short version, our company has been in
business for over 55 years. We
