Alltech Founder Dr. Pearse Lyons Passed Away
Dr. Pearse Lyons passed away today, aged 73, due to an acute lung condition that developed during his recovery from heart surgery. Lyons was the founder and president of Alltech, which in turn is the parent company of Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. (Town Branch Bourbon) in Kentucky and the Pearse Lyons Distillery in Dublin, Ireland.
“The thoughts of our entire Alltech family around the world are with Dr. Lyons’ family, specifically his wife Deirdre, daughter Aoife, son Mark and Mark’s wife Holly,” said Alric Blake, CEO and treasurer of Alltech.
“Dr. Lyons was a visionary entrepreneur who transformed the agriculture industry beginning with his innovative application of yeast technology in animal nutrition. From farm to field, from market to family dinner table, our world is immeasurably better because he was a man who never saw problems, only a challenge that had not yet been solved.
“He inspired everyone he met with his energy, enthusiasm and passionate belief in possibilities. He instilled that positivity in his people, more than 5,000 Alltech team members around the world. I am confident I speak on behalf of all of them when I say that we are deeply honored to have known and worked for such a great man. We will resolve to honor his legacy by deepening our commitment to his customers and all the innovative ideas he believed in so strongly.”
In lieu of flowers, the family is encouraging donations to the Alltech ACE Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that funds a variety of philanthropic endeavours around the world from disaster relief to primary schools in Haiti. Donations may be made at alltech.com/pearselyons.
Funeral masses will be in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, on March 17 and in Dublin, Ireland, in April.
