U. S. Premium Beef LLC (USPB) has announced that long-time Chief Executive Officer Stan Linville will retire on Dec. 26, 2026. The USPB Board of Directors has appointed meat industry veteran James (Jim) Sellers to succeed him as CEO, effective the same day. Sellers will serve as CEO-elect during the transition period.
Linville’s Legacy of Growth at USPB
Linville was hired as chief operations officer in late 1997, when USPB was a newly formed enterprise. Raised on a farm near Holcomb, Kan., Linville designed many of the company’s original cattle delivery and analysis systems.
In 2013, he was named CEO. Under his guidance, the producer-owned beef marketing company achieved historic success, strengthening premium payouts and processing partnerships.
“I am incredibly proud of the resilient foundation USPB has built, and the leadership Stan Linville has provided,” says Mark Gardiner, USPB board chairman.
Meet the New CEO-Elect: Jim Sellers
Sellers brings more than two decades of highly specialized sales, demand and operations leadership across the meat and technology sectors:
- Land O’Lakes: Most recently served as the director of demand development for the beef value chain in Arden Hills, Minn.
- JBT Marel Corporation: Worked as key account manager, meat.
- Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.: Spent more than 20 years in various critical sales leadership roles.
Sellers grew up in Ames, Iowa. He completed his undergraduate studies at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, and holds an MBA from Iowa State University. Sellers, along with his wife, Brenda, and their three daughters, will relocate to the Kansas City area to assume his duties at USPB headquarters.
“We are all very excited that Jim Sellers will be joining USPB, and look forward to his vision and guidance in the future,” Gardiner says.
To learn more about USPB, visit uspremiumbeef.com.
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