Sign In
Free Newsletter
Agriculture 2023: GEORGE C. FREEMAN III
A Richmond native, Freeman has been Universal’s CEO since 2008 and president since 2006. From 2001 to 2005, he was the corporation’s general counsel and secretary, and he worked at law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth (then Hunton & Williams) in the early to mid-1990s. The world’s largest supplier of tobacco leaf, Universal Corp. posted fiscal […]
Richmond’s Universal Corp. to acquire Pennsylvania flavoring company
Richmond-based agriculture products supplier Universal Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire specialty ingredient, flavoring and food company Shank’s Extracts Inc., it announced Tuesday. Founded in 1899, Shank’s is a privately-held company specializing in vanilla extract products. The company, which has more than 200 workers, manufactures more than 2,400 extracts, distillates,[...]
Universal Corp. completes acquisition of dehydrated foods company
Richmond-based international tobacco leaf supply company Universal Corp. announced Thursday it has completed the acquisition of Momence, Illinois-based dehydrated vegetable, fruit and herb processing company Silva International for $170 million in cash. The acquisition was previously announced in early September. Silva will operate as part of Universal’s plant-based ingredients platform, w[...]
