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Notable Iowa Families & Companies

The Albaugh Family

The family behind Albaugh, LLC, the world's largest privately held crop-protection company, built from Ankeny by founder Dennis Albaugh.

FounderDennis Albaugh
Founded1979
FieldAgricultural crop protection
HomeAnkeny, Iowa
TodayWorld's largest privately held crop-protection supplier; still Ankeny-headquartered and family-owned
The story

How it began

Dennis Albaugh founded Albaugh, Inc. (later Albaugh, LLC) in 1979, distributing crop-protection products to local farmers from Ankeny, Iowa. He saw an opening in generic alternatives to expensive brand-name pesticides and herbicides.

In 1987 the company earned its first EPA technical registration and began formulating 2,4-D in Ankeny. When Monsanto's glyphosate patent expired, Albaugh marketed its own version of the herbicide at a fraction of the brand-name price, and grew rapidly with major operations in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.

What they built

What he built

By the numbers

Wealth & scale

1979Founded
Ankeny, IowaHQ
World's #1 private crop protectionRank

Albaugh is privately held; company revenue is not publicly disclosed. Forbes has profiled founder Dennis Albaugh as a billionaire (its 2007 “Pesticide Prince” feature); any specific personal net-worth figure is an outside estimate, not disclosed.

Legacy

Legacy & philanthropy

Dennis Albaugh built Albaugh from a local distributor into a global agricultural company while keeping its headquarters in Ankeny. In central Iowa he is also known for his philanthropy and for assembling one of the country's most complete collections of American convertible automobiles.

The people

Notable family members

Where you'll see the name

Named for the family

Albaugh, LLC, Ankeny headquarters
FAQ

Common questions

Where is Albaugh LLC headquartered?

Albaugh, LLC is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, where Dennis Albaugh founded it in 1979. It is the world's largest privately held crop-protection supplier and is still Ankeny-based and family-owned.

When was Albaugh founded?

Dennis Albaugh founded the company as Albaugh, Inc. (later Albaugh, LLC) in 1979 in Ankeny, Iowa.

Who is Dennis Albaugh?

Dennis Albaugh is the founder and owner of Albaugh, LLC. An Ankeny native, he started the company in 1979 and built it into the world's largest privately held crop-protection supplier. He is also known in central Iowa for his philanthropy and for assembling one of the country's largest collections of American convertible cars.

How much is Dennis Albaugh worth?

Albaugh, LLC is privately held and does not disclose its financials. Forbes profiled Dennis Albaugh as a billionaire in its 2007 "Pesticide Prince" feature. Specific net-worth figures published on other websites are outside estimates, not confirmed by the family or the company.

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Sources

Where these facts come from

This profile presents only publicly reported facts, drawn from the sources above. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the family or its companies.

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