CEO and founder of Creekstone Farm Premium Beef John Stewart announced his retirement from the company Monday. Stewart will continue to be involved with the company as an investor and advisor and will continue to work with the industry on Creekstone's behalf, as well as continuing to sit on the American Meat Institute Board of Directors.

Creekstone is currently involved in a hard-fought case against USDA in order to attempt to gain permission to conduct their own voluntary tests on cattle for bovine spongiform encephalitis. Creekstone originally filed the suit against USDA in March 2006.

The company has begun to search for a new CEO, with Bill McSwain leading the company's day to day activity in the transition.

Stewart and his wife Carol founded Creekstone in 1995 near Louisville, Kent., as a Black Angus Beef seedstock operation. After they launched Creekstone as America's first all Black Angus branded beef program, they acquired a Kansas processing facility and expanded the business to include global representation, becoming the leading marketers of premium U.S. beef in Europe and Asia.