Downes-O’Neill, a division of FCStone Group, LLC, announced the appointment of Eric Meyer as Risk Management Consultant.  In this role, he will be responsible for designing and executing dairy and grain hedging programs on behalf of the firm’s clients, using an array of futures, options and OTC risk-management tools.

Meyer will be working together with long-time Downes-O’Neill broker Dave Kurzawski, and also will take on consulting responsibilities as a part of FCStone’s IRMP (Integrated Risk Management Program.)

Meyer, 30, joins Downes-O’Neill from Sara Lee Corporation, where from 2006 to 2008 he was a category manager in the firm’s dairy and corn syrup procurement program and the primary buyer and trader for corn syrup and cheese.

Before joining Sara Lee, Meyer was the Vice President of Marketing and Operations for Downes-O’Neill and its sister company, eDairy.  During his original tenure with Downes-O’Neill, from 2001 to 2005, Meyer was responsible for building many of the systems and operations that are still in place at the firm today, including the eDairy website (www.dairy.nu.)  

“I am very gratified and excited to be rejoining Downes-O’Neill at this point in its  development,” Meyer commented.  “For years, Downes-O’Neill has been the  leading brokerage firm for dairy processors and producers, and now that it has joined forces with FCStone, my colleagues and I will have more capabilities and more resources than ever before to offer to our clients, including energy derivatives, OTC swaps, and a complete range of hedging tools for agricultural commodities.”

“Eric’s experience as a corporate buyer for a Fortune 500 company, coupled with his previous brokerage and marketing experience on behalf of Downes-O’Neill, gives him a professional background on both sides of the desk,” noted Tom Gaughan, Vice President of the Food Service Group of FCStone.  “There are very few brokers in the industry that offer the kind of experience and insight that Eric possesses, and we’re delighted to have him back on our team.”

A Chicago-area native, Meyer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Northwestern University.

Contact:    Kelly Sherman                              
             Downes-O’Neill/FCStone        
             Kelly.Sherman@FCStone.com
             (312) 456-3618