PENDLETON — Pendleton Grain Growers sold one of its last properties in its namesake city, but the PGG banner will remain.

According to Umatilla County property records, The McGregor Co., a Colfax, Washington-based agronomy and seed company, bought McKennon Station from PGG on July 20 for $924,720. McGregor Co. President Ian McGregor confirmed the purchase and added the company plans to keep McKennon running as a seed processing facility under the PGG brand.

The McGregor family had been farming wheat in Eastern Washington for decades by the time they spun off their commercial fertilizer and equipment business into its own company in 1956. McGregor Co. now serves 48 locations in three states and operates facilities in Adams and Milton-Freewater. McGregor said the company has operated its own seed division for the better part of 30 years and acquiring a seed-processing facility in Pendleton offered the company some advantages. Although McGregor Co. already operates three seed processing plants, McKennon Station will be its only seed processing facility in Oregon.

But McGregor Co. isn’t just acquiring the McKennon Station building, located south of Interstate 84 near the Umatilla County Jail, but PGG’s entire seed division. McGregor said the PGG seed team is small, but collectively has more than a century’s worth of experience in its field. McGregor Co. will retain the McKennon Station staff and continue to operate the facility under the PGG brand.

“It’s not about the assets,” McGregor said. “It’s about the people.”

McGregor said the company is keeping the PGG name to maintain the trust farmers built with the former co-op but also is being transparent with customers about the change in ownership. PGG did not respond to a request for comment as of press time Monday, July 26.

Once an omnipresent organization across Eastern Oregon, PGG already had begun selling assets by the time members voted to dissolve the co-op in 2016. Retail stores in Hermiston, Athena and Milton-Freewater were sold into private hands. Mid Columbia Producers of Moro purchased PGG’s energy division and United Grain Corp. of Vancouver, Washington, acquired the co-op’s upcountry grain elevators and terminals.

PGG’s Pendleton assets have taken longer to switch hands. Besides the McKennon Station sale, PGG sold its former energy building at 1210 S.W. Dorion Ave. to Hines Meat Co. and recently completed an auction for its former headquarters, retail showroom, automotive service center and warehouse at 1000 S.W. Dorion Ave.

Realty Marketing/Northwest declined to comment on who the winning bidder was, and Umatilla County Records had not received sales information as of July 23.