Oil-Dri Corp of America (ODC) Business
This page reproduces the company's own Item 1 Business text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Informational only - not investment advice. See Disclaimer.
ITEM 1 – BUSINESS
OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS
Except as otherwise indicated herein or as the context otherwise requires, references to “Oil-Dri,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Oil-Dri Corporation of America and its subsidiaries.
Oil-Dri is a leader in developing, manufacturing and/or marketing sorbent products. Our sorbent products are principally produced from hydrated aluminosilicate minerals, primarily consisting of calcium bentonite, attapulgite and diatomaceous shale, which we refer to collectively as our “clay,” our “minerals,” or “Fuller's Earth.” We surface mine our clay on leased or owned land near our manufacturing facilities in Mississippi, Georgia, Illinois and California. We produce both absorbent and adsorbent products from our clay. Absorbents, like sponges, draw liquids up into their many pores. Examples of our absorbent clay products are Cat’s Pride and Jonny Cat branded premium cat litter, as well as other private label cat litters. Additional examples are our Oil-Dri branded floor absorbents, Amlan branded animal health and nutrition solutions for livestock, and Agsorb and Verge agricultural chemical carriers. Adsorbent products attract impurities in liquids, such as metals and surfactants, and form low-level chemical bonds. Examples of our adsorbent products include Ultra-Clear, Pure-Flo, Supreme, Perform, Select, Metal-X and Metal-Z which act as purification mediums for edible and non-edible oils. We also sell nonclay-based products, such as our Oil-Dri synthetic sorbents used for automotive, industrial and marine cleanup, silica gel-based crystal cat litter, and plastic cat litter box liners. Our principal products are described in more detail below.
Oil-Dri Corporation of America was incorporated in Delaware in 1969 as the successor to an Illinois corporation incorporated in 1946 (which was the successor to a partnership that commenced business in 1941). For additional information on recent business developments, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” in Part II, Item 7, incorporated herein by reference.
OPERATING SEGMENTS
We have two reportable operating segments for financial reporting derived from the different characteristics of our two major customer groups: the Retail and Wholesale Products Group and the Business to Business Products Group. The Retail and Wholesale Products Group customers include mass merchandisers, the farm & fleet channel, drugstore chains, pet specialty retail outlets, dollar stores, retail grocery stores, online retailers, co-packaged products customers, distributors of industrial cleanup and automotive products, environmental service companies and users of sports field products and sports turf materials. The Business to Business Products Group customers include processors and refiners of edible oils, renewable diesel, petroleum-based oils and biodiesel fuel; manufacturers of animal feed and agricultural chemicals; and distributors of animal health and nutrition products. Certain financial information on both segments is contained in Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and is incorporated herein by reference.
PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS BY OPERATING SEGMENT
Retail and Wholesale Products Group
Cat Litter
We produce two types of mineral-based cat litter products, scoopable and coarse non-clumping litters, both of which have absorbent and odor controlling characteristics. Scoopable litters have the additional characteristic of clumping when exposed to moisture, allowing the consumer to selectively dispose of the used portion of the litter. Scoopable litter products are further differentiated between lightweight and heavyweight. Lightweight scoopable litters offer high performance with the added convenience of being lighter to carry and pour. All of our cat litter products are sold both domestically and internationally.
Branded products. Our scoopable and non-clumping litters are sold under our Cat’s Pride and Jonny Cat brand names. Our Cat's Pride litters created the lightweight segment of the scoopable litter market. In fiscal year 2023, we launched Cat’s Pride Antibacterial Clumping Litter which is the first and only Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) approved antibacterial cat litter in the United States. In addition, we offer our non-clumping litter in a pre-packaged, disposable tray under the Cat’s Pride KatKit brand. Moreover, we offer litter box liners under the Cat's Pride and Jonny Cat product lines. These products are sold through independent food brokers and by our sales force to major grocery, drug, dollar store, mass-merchandiser, farm & fleet, and pet outlets, as well as through online retailers.
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Private label products. We produce private label scoopable and non-clumping cat litters. Our lightweight scoopable litters lead our private label cat litter offerings.
Co-packaged products. We have a long-term supply agreement with A&M Products Manufacturing Company, a subsidiary of The Clorox Company ("Clorox"), under which we manufacture branded non-clumping litters. Under this agreement, the marketer controls all aspects of sales, marketing, and distribution, as well as the odor control formula, and we are responsible for manufacturing. This long-term supply agreement with Clorox grants us the exclusive right to supply Clorox’s requirements for Fresh Step coarse cat litter up to certain levels.
Crystal litter products. Additionally, effective May 1, 2024, as a result of our acquisition of Ultra Pet Company, Inc. ("Ultra Pet"), we began selling crystal cat litter made of synthetic silica-gel granules. Similar to Oil-Dri’s clay-based lightweight litter, Ultra Pet’s crystal litter products are lightweight with superior odor control. Crystals are 99.9% dust free and absorb up to 90% of their weight in liquid. The acquired product portfolio includes brands such as Ultra, Litter Pearls, and Cat's Pride, as well as many private label offerings. These products are sold to consumers both domestically and internationally through e-commerce and brick and mortar retail stores.
Industrial and Automotive
We manufacture and/or sell products made from clay, polypropylene and recycled materials that absorb oil, acid, paint, ink, water and other liquids. These products have industrial, automotive, marine and home applications. Our clay-based sorbent products, such as Oil-Dri branded and private label floor absorbents, are used for floor maintenance in industrial applications to provide a non-slip and non-flammable surface for workers. These floor absorbents are also used in automotive repair facilities, car dealerships and other industrial applications, as well as for home use in garages and driveways. Our Oil-Dri branded polypropylene-based and recycled products are sold in various forms, such as pads, rolls, socks, booms and spill kits.
Industrial and automotive sorbent products are sold through distribution networks that include industrial, auto parts, safety, sanitary supply, chemical and paper distributors. These products are also sold both domestically and internationally through environmental service companies, mass-merchandisers, catalogs and e-commerce.
Sports
We manufacture and sell both branded and private label sports products. Pro’s Choice Sports Field Products are used on baseball, softball, football, cricket, and soccer fields. Pro’s Choice soil conditioners are used in field construction or as top dressing to improve drainage, suppress dust and improve field performance. Pro Mound packing clay is used to construct pitcher’s mounds, catcher's stations and batter’s boxes. Rapid Dry drying agent is used to wick away excess water from the infield. Sports products are used at all levels of play, including professional, college and high school and on municipal fields. These products are sold domestically through distributors of sport turf materials as well as directly to sports field product users.
Business to Business Products Group
Fluids Purification
We produce an array of adsorbent products for bleaching, purification and filtration applications that are used around the world by edible oil processors, as well as by refiners of renewable diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum-based products. Bleaching clays are used by edible oil processors to adsorb soluble contaminants that promote oxidation problems. Our Pure-Flo and Perform bleaching clays remove impurities, such as trace metals, chlorophyll and color bodies, in various types of edible oils. Perform products provide increased activity for hard-to-bleach oils. Our Select adsorbents are used in a pre-treatment process to remove metals and trace soap in vegetable oil processing. Our Select adsorbents can also be used to pre-treat oil in the processing of biodiesel. Metal-X and Metal-Z are highly efficient adsorbents for the renewable diesel market. Our Ultra-Clear product is used as a purification and filtration medium for jet fuel and other petroleum-based products. These products are sold in the United States and in international markets by our team of technical sales employees, distributors and sales agents.
Agricultural and Horticultural
We produce a wide range of granules and powders used to enhance agricultural and horticultural products. Our mineral-based absorbent products serve as carriers for biological and chemical active ingredients, drying agents, and growing media. Our brands include: Agsorb, an agricultural and horticultural carrier and drying agent; Verge, an engineered granule used as a carrier and drying agent; and Flo-Fre, a highly absorbent microgranule used as a flowability aid.
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Agsorb and Verge carriers are used in products that are alternatives to liquid sprays. These products are sold for lawn and garden and row crop applications. The clay granules absorb active ingredients and are then delivered directly into, or on top of the ground, providing a more precise application than liquid sprays. Verge carriers are spherical, uniform-sized granules with very low dust. Agsorb drying agent is blended into fertilizer-pesticide blends applied to absorb moisture and improve flowability. Flo-Fre microgranules are used by grain processors and other large handlers of bulk products to soak up excess moisture, which prevents caking. These products are sold primarily in the United States by our technical sales force.
Animal Health and Nutrition
We produce, or use contract processors to produce, Amlan brand name and private label products that support good health and productivity of species in livestock industries. For example, our products, including our Calibrin, Varium and NeoPrime products in our international markets, and Sorbiam, Ambio P and Ambio S products to customers in North America, provide a number of solutions for swine, poultry and dairy cattle livestock production. In addition, our MD-09 moisture manager product is a feed additive for the reduction of wet droppings in poultry and our Pel-Unite and Pel-Unite Plus products are specialized animal feed pellet binders.
Our animal health and nutrition products are sold both directly and through a network of distributors to livestock producers, feed mill operators, nutritionists and veterinarians in the United States, Latin America, Africa, Mexico, the Middle East and Asia. The sales force for our subsidiaries located in China, Mexico and Indonesia also sell these products, as further described in Foreign Operations below.
FOREIGN OPERATIONS
Our foreign operations located in Canada and the Netherlands are included in the Retail and Wholesale Products Group, while operations in the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland, Mexico and Indonesia are included in the Business to Business Products Group.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Oil-Dri Canada ULC, located in Canada, is a manufacturer, distributor and marketer of branded and private label cat litter in the Canadian marketplace. Among its leading brands are Saular, Cat’s Pride and Jonny Cat. Our Canadian business also manufactures or purchases and sells industrial granule floor absorbents, synthetic polypropylene sorbent materials and agricultural chemical carriers.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, MBA Pet BV, located in the Netherlands, which was acquired on May 1, 2024 as part of the acquisition of Ultra Pet, is a distributor of silica gel-based cat litter to the Europe region.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Oil-Dri (U.K.) Limited, located in the United Kingdom, is a manufacturer, distributor and marketer of bleaching earth, industrial floor absorbents and cat litter. These products are marketed in the United Kingdom and Western Europe. Oil-Dri (U.K.) Limited also sells synthetic polypropylene sorbent materials and plastic containment products.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Amlan Trading (Shenzhen) Company, Ltd., located in China, is dedicated to animal health and provides natural disease management solutions for livestock. This subsidiary sells animal health and nutrition products under our Amlan brand name and under private label arrangements.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, PT Amlan Perdagangan Internasional, located in Indonesia, also distributes our animal health and nutrition products.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Oil-Dri SARL, located in Switzerland, performs various management, customer service and administrative functions for some of the international customers of our domestic operations.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Agromex Importaciones, S.A de C.V, located in Mexico, sells our international animal health and nutrition products.
Our foreign operations are subject to the normal risks of doing business in non-U.S. countries, such as currency fluctuations, restrictions on the transfer of funds and import/export duties; however, historically our operating results have not been materially impacted by these factors. Incorporated herein by reference are Item 1A "Risk Factors," which describes other risks that could impact our foreign operations, and Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, which contains certain financial information about our foreign operations.
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CUSTOMERS
Walmart Inc. (“Walmart”) is a customer in our Retail and Wholesale Products Group with whom we have a long-term relationship. Sales to Walmart and its affiliates accounted for approximately 19% and 20% of our total net sales for fiscal years 2025 and 2024, respectively. Sales to Walmart are comprised of a variety of products including but not limited to, multiple scoopable, coarse, and crystal cat litter items and accessories. There are no customers in the Business to Business Products Group with sales equal to or greater than 10% of our total sales. The degree of margin contribution of our significant customers in the Business to Business Products Group varies, with certain customers having a greater effect on our operating results. The loss of any customer other than those described in this paragraph would not be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business.
COMPETITION
Product performance, price, brand recognition, customer service, technical support, and distribution resources are the principal methods of competition in our markets and competition historically has been very vigorous. Advertising, promotion, merchandising and packaging also have a significant impact on retail consumer purchasing decisions, which primarily affects our Retail and Wholesale Products Group. Most of the principal competitors for our Retail and Wholesale Products Group have substantially greater financial resources or market presence than we do and have established brands. These competitors may be able to spend more aggressively on advertising and promotional activities, introduce competing products more quickly and respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions than us.
We have six principal competitors in our Retail and Wholesale Products Group, one of which is also our customer. Two of the principal competitors relate to our Industrial and Sports products while the other four relate to our cat litter products. The overwhelming majority of all cat litter is mineral based, including both scoopable and coarse non-clumping litter. Through our acquisition of Ultra Pet, we have expanded our footprint into the silica gel-based cat litter market, which is a growing cat litter market. Cat litters based on other alternatives, such as paper and various agricultural waste products, have niche positions. Scoopable products have a majority of the cat litter market share followed by coarse non-clumping litters.
There is significant competition to attract cat litter consumers across multi-outlet channels, including grocery, mass-merchandiser, dollar, pet and drug stores, as well as through online retailers. Competition for the scoopable litter market continues to be impacted by new product offerings and increased advertising and promotions by our competitors and by us. We provide our customers with product innovation, a nation-wide distribution network and strong customer service. Our exceptional sales and research and development teams, as well as our being vertically integrated, give us a further advantage over smaller and regional manufacturers. With the acquisition of Ultra Pet and our subsequent entrance into the crystal cat litter market we continue to expand our customer offerings.
We currently have nine principal competitors in our Business to Business Products Group. Our bleaching clay and fluids purification products are sold in a highly cost competitive global marketplace. The demand for these products has grown in recent years due to the use of our products in the filtration of renewable diesel. Performance is a primary competitive factor for these products. The animal health portion of this segment also operates in a global marketplace with price and performance competition from multi-national and local competitors. Competition for our crop protection products is primarily based on price, but competitor differentiation also exists in the ability to meet customer product specifications and enhancements in engineered granule technologies.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
We develop new products and applications and improve existing products at our research and development center, the Nick Jaffee Center for Innovation, located in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The Nick Jaffee Center for Innovation includes a pilot plant that simulates the production processes of our customers and our manufacturing plants. In addition, our microbiology lab, the Richard M. Jaffee Laboratory for Applied Microbiology, is within walking distance of the Nick Jaffee Center for Innovation and is dedicated primarily to the development of our animal health products. Our staff (and various consultants they engage from time to time) have experience in disciplines such as biology, microbiology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, geological and earth science, material science, geochemistry, physical catalysis, animal nutrition, and the animal sciences. In the past several years, our research efforts have resulted in a number of new sorbent products and processes. The Nick Jaffee Center for Innovation produces prototype samples and tests new products for customer trial and evaluation. No significant research and development was customer sponsored, and all research and development costs are expensed in the period in which incurred. See Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information about research and development expenses.
SEASONALITY
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We consider our business, taken as a whole, to be moderately seasonal; however, business activities of certain customers, such as agricultural chemical manufacturers and edible oil producers, are subject to such seasonal factors as crop acreage planted, product formulation cycles and weather conditions. Additionally, demand for our sports products fluctuates depending on the time of year that certain sports, including baseball, softball, football, cricket, and soccer are played.
RESOURCES
Patents
We have obtained or applied for patents for certain of our processes and products sold to customers in both the Retail and Wholesale Products Group and the Business to Business Products Group. U.S. patents are currently granted for a term of 20 years from the date the patent application is filed, and our U.S. patents generally have durations of 15-20 years. The durations of patents issued outside of the United States vary from country to country, and generally have durations of 10-15 years. Our patents, particularly our U.S. patents, are highly important to our business and we assert our patent rights and vigorously protect our patents from apparent infringement where appropriate, although no single patent is considered material to the business as a whole. The risks associated with our patents (and intellectual property, generally), are discussed in Item 1A "Risk Factors."
Reserves
We mine our clay on leased or owned land near our manufacturing facilities in Mississippi, Georgia, Illinois and California, and we also have reserves in Nevada and Tennessee. We estimate that our proven mineral reserves as of July 31, 2025, were approximately 92.3 million tons in aggregate and our probable mineral reserves were approximately 115.3 million tons in aggregate, for a total of 207.6 million tons of mineral reserves. Based on our rate of consumption during fiscal year 2025, and without regard to any of our reserves in Nevada or Tennessee, we consider our proven and probable reserves adequate to supply our needs for over forty years. Although we consider these reserves to be extremely valuable to our business, we do not believe they have inherent value and only become valuable through the mining and manufacturing methods as further described in Item 2 "Properties".
It is our policy to attempt to maintain a minimum of forty years of proven and probable reserves of each type of clay at each location. We have an ongoing program of exploration for additional reserves, but we cannot provide assurance that additional reserves will continue to become available. Our use of these reserves, and our ability to explore for additional reserves, are subject to compliance with existing and future federal and state statutes and regulations regarding mining and environmental compliance. During fiscal year 2025, we utilized these reserves to produce substantially all of the sorbent products that we sold.
Proven reserves are those reserves for which (a) quantity is computed from dimensions revealed in outcrops, trenches, workings or drill holes; grade and/or quality are computed from results of detailed sampling, and (b) the sites for inspection, sampling and measurement are spaced so closely and the geologic character is so well defined that size, shape, depth and mineral content of reserves are well established. Probable reserves are computed from information similar to that used for proven reserves, but the sites for inspection, sampling and measurement are farther apart or are otherwise less adequately spaced. The degree of assurance, although lower than that for proven reserves, is high enough to assume continuity between points of observation. We use certified professional geologists and mineral specialists who estimate and evaluate existing and potential reserves in terms of quality, quantity and availability.
Mining Operations
We have continuously conducted mining operations in Ripley, Mississippi since 1963, in Ochlocknee, Georgia since 1968, in Blue Mountain, Mississippi since 1989, in Mounds, Illinois since 1998 and in Taft, California since 2002. Our clay is surface mined on a year-round basis, using large earth moving scrapers, bulldozers, or excavators and off-road trucks to strip off overburden (non-usable material atop desired clay). The desired clay is then loaded into dump trucks and transported to the processing facilities. The stripping, mining and hauling of our clay is performed in-house as well as by independent contractors. Our current operating mines range in distance from immediately adjacent to approximately eleven miles from the related processing plants. Processing facilities are generally accessed from the mining areas by private and public roads and in some instances by public highways. Each of our processing facilities maintains inventories of unprocessed clay for approximately one week of production requirements. All material permits have either been obtained by us, or approval is expected to be received in the normal course of business. See Item 2 “Properties” below for additional information regarding our mining properties and operations.
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The following schedule summarizes the net book value of land, mining assets and other plant and equipment for each of our manufacturing facilities as of July 31, 2025 (in thousands). Of the mining assets, $0.8 million relates to mineral rights. Mineral rights as of July 31, 2025, were $0.3 million and $0.5 million for our properties in Illinois and California, respectively.
| Land | Mining Assets, Net | Plant andEquipment, Net | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ochlocknee, Georgia | $ | 8,183 | $ | 4,656 | $ | 47,843 | |||||
| Ripley, Mississippi | $ | 1,855 | $ | 864 | $ | 22,542 | |||||
| Mounds, Illinois | $ | 321 | $ | 961 | $ | 18,706 | |||||
| Blue Mountain, Mississippi | $ | 875 | $ | 62 | $ | 13,690 | |||||
| Taft, California | $ | 384 | $ | 866 | $ | 14,668 |
Energy
We primarily use natural gas in the processing kilns to dry our clay products. We monitor gas market trends, and we may contract for a portion of our anticipated fuel needs using forward purchase contracts to mitigate the volatility of our kiln fuel prices. During fiscal years 2025 and 2024, we purchased several forward fuel contracts in Georgia and California which will cover a portion of our needs through fiscal year 2026.
HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Overview
As part of our efforts to drive continued growth and increased profitability, we are keenly focused on building an organization that attracts and retains top talent and develops the skills necessary to drive differentiation for our business. As of July 31, 2025, we had approximately 928 employees globally, who we refer to as our teammates, of which 893 are based in the U.S and 35 are located internationally. We believe our corporate offices, research and development center and manufacturing facilities are currently adequately staffed but there is no guarantee that this will always be possible. Approximately 58 of our teammates in the U.S. and approximately 15 of our teammates in Canada are represented by labor unions, with whom we have entered into separate collective bargaining agreements. We consider our employee relations with our teammates represented by labor unions to be satisfactory.
Culture
Oil-Dri’s culture and values, along with its teammates, are our most valuable assets. We take pride in building a culture that emphasizes high moral and ethical values and conducts business with honesty, integrity and a passion for excellence. Our approach is centered on collaboration, communication, and transparency, and we believe in the value of an open and accessible corporate structure. We expect all our teammates to conduct business in an ethical and fair manner using our “WE CARE” values framework.
Oil-Dri's culture and the objectives that we focus on in managing our business are based on our “WE CARE” values. “WE CARE” is an acronym for remembering our core values, which is the moral standard that we endeavor to apply to our teammates, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders. We continuously work to reinforce these values through leading by example, training, and rewarding positive behaviors. We use “WE CARE” values as a moral compass to constantly strive for continuous improvement. These values are embedded into everything we do and are reflected in our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, formal policies and procedures, continuous training including training on workplace harassment, and a strong governance structure. Our "WE CARE" values are also the basis of our formal teammate recognition process.
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Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct details how we act in accordance with these fundamental standards. The first “E” in "WE CARE" represents Ethics. Oil-Dri’s ethical culture is one of our greatest strengths and areas of emphasis by our Board of Directors ("Board") and management team. Our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") has been asked to speak on this topic at local business schools, including the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern and Marquette University. Our CEO’s continued messaging to all Oil-Dri teammates about the importance of our ethical culture helps maintain a strong tone at the top for our entire organization.
We have codified our compliance and ethics requirements through our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, the Human Rights Policy, Supplier Code of Conduct and Whistleblower Response Policy.
Under the direction of the Vice President of Compliance, the Company’s compliance program ensures adherence to the highest ethical standards and regulatory requirements, including but not limited to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Company’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, Whistleblower Protection, and other applicable public company standards. As part of the focus on addressing potential risks and ensuring a global understanding of the various applicable policies and requirements, we have also translated our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and our Supplier Code of Conduct into French, Mandarin and Spanish. Our Board also annually attests to Oil-Dri’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. The Vice President of Compliance also conducts a thorough third-party due diligence process for new third-parties that includes the use of compliance software. In addition, our distributor and agent agreements include a mandatory anti-corruption regulatory compliance section.
Oil-Dri has strong policies and procedures in place for anti-corruption and conflicts of interest. This includes training and attestation requirements where appropriate. Oil-Dri is committed to whistleblower protection and uses a third-party anonymous hotline available on our website, where teammates or third parties across the globe can reach out via phone or internet with any concerns they may have and be ensured of anonymity in reporting if they so desire. The Company has documented and implemented procedures to ensure the protection of whistleblowers' employment status as well as protection from harassment in the workplace. Our anti-corruption training emphasizes the necessity of whistleblower procedures, protection, and zero tolerance for retaliation. This training is given within the first few months of hire to new teammates with sales and/or leadership roles that interact with customers and/or teammates outside the U.S. Additionally, anti-corruption training is repeated annually at our Global Sales Meeting for all attending teammates; including sales teams across the globe as well as all Oil-Dri leadership personnel and other teammates in roles that support sales.
As individual hotline cases are investigated, the Company's Vice President of Compliance works with Human Resources and any other teammates involved in the investigation to ensure confidentiality is maintained and whistleblowers are protected; our compliance training emphasizes that this is not only required by law, but clearly fits with our "WE CARE"
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values. All cases are investigated to conclusion, with follow up provided, where possible, on an anonymous basis back to the whistleblower through the anonymous third-party hotline.
"WE CARE" for all. Our strength as a company comes from leveraging the uniqueness of all teammates and those in our communities. We strive to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce for all. We are committed to fostering a safe, collaborative, supporting and respectful environment that values diverse perspectives, mitigates unconscious bias and enables a culture where teammates can bring their authentic self to work. We believe that Oil-Dri’s success is enhanced by endeavoring to attract and retain a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities and countries in which we live and work. We embrace all people, regardless of race, sex, gender identity, age, religion, nationality, physical ability or sexual orientation. We are committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion.
Compensation
We believe our success largely depends upon our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled teammates. We have demonstrated a history of investing in our teammates by providing market competitive salaries and bonuses at all levels of the Company that are consistent with similar roles, skill levels, experience, knowledge and geographic locations where we operate. Our executive compensation programs include a deferred compensation plan and executive deferred bonuses, as well as opportunities for equity ownership through our restricted stock program under our long-term incentive plan. We believe this aligns the interests of our executives with those of our shareholders. We also provide access to training and development and an attractive employment package that promotes well-being, including health care, retirement plans, and paid time off. In the U.S., we support our teammates’ desire to save for retirement by providing a 401(k) savings plan in which we contribute 100% of every employee dollar contributed, up to six percent (6%) of earnings and for which employees are fully vested after two (2) years of employment. Outside of the U.S., employees are eligible for a variety of supplemental benefits based on local market practices. The competitive compensation and benefit package have been key to the strong retention of our employees.
Teammate Health and Wellness
The success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our teammates. As such, the health and wellness of our teammates is a top priority. We offer robust and generous benefit programs to those who qualify, which include, but are not limited to, health, prescription drug, dental, life insurance and disability insurance. We also offer wellness programs to those who qualify, to help our teammates live healthy lives. Smoking cessation programs are offered to teammates at no cost. We also offer gym and weight loss reimbursement in order to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Our employee assistance program provides face-to-face, telephonic and online counseling services for a variety of potential needs that our teammates may have. Our commitment to the wellness of our teammates is further evidenced by our paid time off and sick days program, which are part of the work/life balance component of our "WE CARE" values framework.
Workplace Flexibility
During fiscal year 2025, Oil-Dri continued a hybrid work environment for many of our non-manufacturing teammates, with the option for some positions to be 100% remote. Oil-Dri offers a wide range of employment opportunities including full and part-time positions which support our Work/Life Balance values. By providing these flexible work options, among other initiatives, we are able to attract and retain diverse talent throughout the Company.
Continuous Teammate Development
We encourage our teammates to reach their potential with continuous learning and improvement. All teammates have access to our online training and development library for on-demand courses, webinars, books and podcasts. Teammates may attend conferences and programs and/or obtain certifications that relate to their positions at no cost. For teammates looking to further their education, we offer varying levels of tuition reimbursement programs after one year of employment. This is designed to provide financial support to help teammates reach their educational goals, while also providing a way to support academic activities that directly relate to the organization’s identified knowledge, skills, and behaviors which support the mission, vision, and values of the Company.
Teammate Engagement
Oil-Dri maintains an open-door policy that encourages conversations between teammates at all levels. Communication goes both ways - ideas are shared and feedback is encouraged. We engage with teammates on a regular basis through newsletters, townhalls, video announcements, meetings, and new hire luncheons with our CEO. On occasion, anonymous
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online surveys are issued to solicit feedback on various work-related topics. We come together to celebrate work anniversaries, birthdays, retirements and other special occasions.
Safety
We believe that safety must be the first and foremost consideration in the decisions made by and on behalf of the Company. We believe safety is everyone’s responsibility - from senior management to frontline workers. As part of our company-wide safety policies, it is expected that all teammates identify safety risks and take action by implementing interim controls, ensuring that controls are maintained, and recommending permanent solutions. Additionally, as part of our annual budget and capital planning process, our businesses identify additional safety investments required for training, education, equipment, and processes. We are committed to operating in a manner that protects the health and safety of our workforce and our communities and ensures decisions are consistent with a long-term view of sustainability and stewardship.
Through our corporate safety department, we implemented a safety auditing program for adherence to local, state and federal safety standards and regulations including those of the Mine Safety and Health Administration ("MSHA") and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA"). These audits are conducted annually for global operations by third-party consultants enforcing a rigorous assessment of regulatory standards, internal procedures and program performance. Audit assessments and inspections are scored and are currently indicating high levels of compliance in our operations. The auditing program confirms the Company’s commitment to best management practices and principles. We continually increase the rigor and level of scrutiny to drive continuous improvement in our operations.
GOVERNMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE
We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulatory requirements relating to the environment and to health and safety matters. In particular, our mining and manufacturing operations and facilities in Georgia, Mississippi, California and Illinois are required to comply with state surface mining and environmental protection statutes as well as the workplace safety requirements of the MSHA. These domestic locations and our Canadian operations are subject to various federal, state, provincial and local statutes, regulations, ordinances, building codes, and permitting and licensing requirements which govern the discharge, storage and disposal of materials, water and waste into the environment, maintenance of our locations or otherwise regulate our operations. In recent years, regulation and enforcement have grown increasingly stringent, a trend that we expect will continue. We endeavor to be in compliance at all times and in all material respects with all applicable environmental, health and safety controls and regulations. As a result, compliance with the various statutes, regulations, ordinances, codes, and other requirements have required continuing management efforts and the expenditures relating to such compliance have varied over the years; however, these expenditures have not had a material adverse effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position. As part of our ongoing environmental compliance activities, we incur expenses in connection with reclaiming mining sites. Historically, reclamation expenses have not had a material effect on our cost of goods sold.
In addition to the environmental, health and safety requirements related to our mining and manufacturing operations and facilities, there has been increased federal, state and international regulation with respect to the content, labeling, use, packaging, registration, trade compliance, advertising, and disposal of products that we sell. For example, in the United States, some of our operations, products, product claims, labeling and advertising are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), the Consumer Product Safety Commission ("CPSC"), OSHA, MSHA, EPA and the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"). Most states have agencies that regulate in parallel to these federal agencies. In addition, our international sales and operations are subject to regulation in each of the foreign jurisdictions in which we manufacture, distribute or sell our products. There is increasing federal and state regulation with respect to the content, labeling, use, and disposal after use of various products we sell. Throughout the world, but particularly in the United States and Europe, there is also increasing government scrutiny and regulation of the food chain and products entering or affecting the food chain. We endeavor to be in compliance at all times and in all material respects with those regulations and to assist our customers in that compliance.
We cannot provide assurance that, despite all commercially reasonable efforts, we will always be in compliance in all material respects with all applicable environmental laws and requirements nor can we assure that from time to time enforcement of such requirements will not have a material adverse effect on our business. The imposition of more stringent standards or requirements under such regulations could result in increased expenditures. Additionally, we could be required to alter our operations in order to comply with any new standards or requirements under environmental laws or regulations. See Item 1A “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance” below for a discussion of the impact of government regulations on our business and other risks to our business.
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AVAILABLE INFORMATION
This Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to all of the foregoing reports, are made available free of charge on or through the “Investors” section of our website at www.oildri.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information related to corporate governance at Oil-Dri, including its Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, information concerning executive officers, directors and Board committees, and transactions in Oil-Dri securities by directors and executive officers, is available free of charge on or through the “Investors” section of our website at www.oildri.com. The information on our website is not included as a part of, nor incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The SEC also maintains a website, www.sec.gov, that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.