About Us
History of E.K. Bare as told from different generations of family owners.
75 Years of Potato Farming and Potato Supply
In 1948, teenage brothers Bob and Jake Bare went to their parents with a business idea: a company to market and transport the potatoes they grew on the family farm. With an initial investment of $2,500, they were off and running—naming the business after their father, Elvin Kreider Bare.
Bob Bare’s son-in-law, Bob Horst, joined the team in 1981 to help handle the company’s rising volume. When Bob and Jake were ready to retire, they transitioned the ownership to Bob Horst and his partner Rob Hess. Together, the partners led E.K. Bare for over two decades.
Today, E.K. Bare is owned by Ragen Horst (great grandchild of Elvin Kreider Bare) and Brad Halladay (son-in-law of Bob Horst). Ragen and Brad are building on E.K. Bare’s history and reputation while finding ways to better meet the needs of today’s growers and processors.
Bob Horst’s adage,
“You are only as good as your next delivery,”
continues to guide us as we look to the future.
Meet Our Team
Ragen Horst
President and CEO
Bradley Halladay
Chief Technology Officer
Rachel Sweigart
Chief Financial Officer
James Stewart
Customer Service Manager
Zac Eichelberger
Director of Transportation, CLTD
Sean Malloy
Potato Supply Manager
Corinne Martin
Controller
Paul Holliday
Bird in Hand Potato Co.
Bob Horst
Advisor
Ragen Horst
President and CEO
Ragen grew up in the potato business, joining E.K. Bare full-time in 2008. He started in the Transportation department and went on to work in every department of the company. He currently focuses on chip contract sales and leading the best group of people in the potato industry.
Bradley Halladay
Chief Technology Officer
Brad is a computer engineer by trade, and he joined E.K. Bare to help modernize our technology and systems for the next generation. Brad accomplished this with the creation of a proprietary software tool, Medius SCM, which eventually led to a separate company, MediusAg.
Rachel Sweigart
Chief Financial Officer
Rachel (another fourth-generation employee) joined our team in 2020. Rachel manages the finances of E.K. Bare, EKB Logistics, and MediusAg.
James Stewart
Customer Service Manager
James started with E.K. Bare in 2017, bringing with him many years of customer service experience from one of the largest restaurant supply companies in the country. James focuses on working with our customers’ production planners to execute each week’s potato shipments and manage contract inventories. A key aspect of his role is quality assurance and quality data management across all shipments.
Zac Eichelberger
Director of Transportation, CLTD
Zac started with E.K. Bare in 2020, bringing with him many years of experience working for a national freight trucking company. Zac manages all transportation at E.K. Bare and our transportation company, EKB Logistics.
Sean Malloy
Potato Supply Manager
Sean started with E.K. Bare in 2022, after many years spent building his customer service and supply logistics experience. Sean focuses on working with our growers to ship their crops in the ideal window and manages all food safety aspects of our potatoes. He is a certified BRCGS Professional!
Corinne Martin
Controller
Corinne started at E.K. Bare in 2021, bringing with her several years of experience in public accounting. She helps Rachel manage our finances and assists in E.K. Bare’s annual food safety certifications.
Paul Holliday
Bird in Hand Potato Co.
Paul brings 10+ years of sales and customer service experience to his role of Sales Director for Bird in Hand Potato Company. He manages all toted and bagged potato sales for E.K. Bare under the Bird in Hand Potato Co. brand.
Bob Horst
Advisor
Bob has been a part of E.K. Bare for over 40 years. Starting 1980, Bob has seen and operated through innumerable changes as the business adapted to each new decade. We heavily rely on his experience and knowledge as we continue to grow and change as a business. We are glad for his leadership in the past and support for the future!