DES MOINES, IOWA — Kemin Industries mourned the loss of R.W. Nelson, co-founder and chairman of the board for the company, who passed away peacefully at his home in Des Moines on April 7 at the age of 98. Having made a lasting impact, Nelson was an innovative business leader, inventor, a salesman and generous philanthropist to central Iowa and around the world.

"We deeply mourn the passing of R.W. – our family patriarch and one of the visionaries behind Kemin,” said Chris Nelson, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Kemin Industries, and Nelson’s eldest son. “He was beloved by our family, countless customers around the world, and thousands of Kemin employees whose lives he touched for more than six decades. He was tirelessly committed to our family, his faith, the community, and was Kemin's most dedicated marketer and sales champion, coming to the office every day for nearly 60 years. While R.W. will be deeply missed by our family and countless people he impacted worldwide, the breadth of his life's work and dedication to servant leadership is to be celebrated.”

Rolland Wade Nelson, born in 1927 in Kansas City, Mo., moved to Des Moines at the age of seven and spent the rest of his life there. After graduating from Drake University, he and his wife, Mary Nelson, created Kemin Industries in 1961, using $10,000 in savings and their family’s living room as an office while raising five young children. 

Nelson helped guide Kemin to becoming a leader in innovative ingredients, which today supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceuticals, food technologies, crop technologies, textiles, biofuels and animal vaccine industries. The company’s footprint now spans six continents, serving customers in more than 120 countries with operations in 90 countries.

An innovator and industry leader, Nelson held four patents and was recognized globally for his scientific discoveries and business achievements. He received citations from two presidents: the President’s  “E” Certificate for Exports from President Nixon in 1971, and the President's "E” Star Award for Excellence in Export from President Carter in 1978. He also received numerous entrepreneurial awards and was inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame in 2006.

Nelson served on many boards and committees for industry trade groups, banks, educational programs and organizations supporting the Des Moines community. He was also a strong advocate and industry member of the American Chemical Society and the American Feed Industry Association.

For decades, Nelson and his wife supported and contributed to many organizations, including his high school, Dowling Catholic High School, Drake University, Living History Farms, Iowa State University, The Science Center of Iowa, and a variety of other organizations focused on science and general education, affordable housing and disaster relief. They also opened the Kemin Primary School in China, helped rebuild a fishing community in India after a tsunami and sent Kemin teams to Nepal and Brazil for Habitat for Humanity global builds. Over the years, the two received numerous recognitions and awards for their philanthropic efforts.

Instead of flowers, the Nelson family asks that memorials be directed to The Harkin Institute at Drake University and the science and athletic programs of Dowling Catholic High School. 

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