The Professional Development Awards of Excellence honor NAMA members based on outstanding achievement in each of the Professional Development Areas (PDA). Awards of Excellence will be presented in the areas of (1) Marketing Communications, (2) Product/Species Management, (3) Public Relations and (4) Sales.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the Professional Development Awards of Excellence is July 22, 2016.  These awards will be presented at the 2016 Fall Conference, September 20 – 22, at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel in downtown Raleigh, NC.

Nominees for the Awards of Excellence must be NAMA members. Nominators should target individuals with direct planning and execution responsibilities in the respective Professional Development Area from agribusiness and related companies. If you have any questions regarding these awards, please contact Jenny Pickett at [email protected].

Please fill out the online nomination form.

View the rules and regulations and past winners on the NAMA website.

NAMA is proud to announce W. Dwight Armstrong, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of the National FFA Organization, as this year’s Agribusiness Leader of the Year.

This award, which is NAMA’s highest honor, recognizes outstanding leadership in private, public or academic service and is conferred each year to a senior agribusiness executive who not only exemplifies excellence in agribusiness but has also made significant contributions to the industry.  Now in its 16^th year, the award will be presented at the Opening General Session of the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference, “From the Ground Up,” April 14, 2016, in Kansas City.

Dwight Armstrong has a passion for agriculture and its role in food security.  This passion has infiltrated all aspects of his life. Like other industry leaders, he appreciates the serious and urgent challenge of feeding a global population that will top 9 billion by 2050.  That is why he is focused on delivering the human capital to get that job done.  He works daily to ensure youth are being educated on issues of hunger and food security, as well as playing active roles in their communities.  Through his career, he has mentored, developed and honed many leaders around the globe.

Under Armstrong’s leadership at FFA, there has been dramatic growth in FFA student membership, National FFA Foundation contributions and attendance at the National FFA Convention & Expo.  The organization achieved an all-time record membership this year with 629,327 student members in grades 7-12 in 7,757 local FFA chapters throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Attendance at the National FFA Convention & Expo grew from 53,473 in 2009 to 65,173 in 2015, making it the nation’s largest student gathering.  During his tenure, financial stability was strengthened for both the National FFA Foundation and the National FFA Organization.  Under the banner of “We Are FFA,” Armstrong created close collaboration and complementary strategic direction for both organizations.

His leadership and service to agriculture have been lifelong, from his early years as an FFA member and his first degree in agriculture from Murray State University.  He continues to serve the industry on numerous business and not-for-profit boards including: Agri-Corps board; Shoulder to Shoulder board; Mathile Institute board and the Professional Services board.  He has received numerous awards and recognitions including an Honorary Doctorate from Purdue University and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Feed Industry Association.

NAMA proudly announces that Dan Fanger, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, Unverferth Manufacturing, Co., Inc., has been selected as the 2016 NAMA Marketer of the Year.

This recognition is the most prestigious honor awarded to an active member of the association and honors outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing. For more than 50 years NAMA has been encouraging and promoting excellence in the industry by recognizing outstanding professional accomplishments. The NAMA Marketer of the Year award will be presented during the Second General Session of the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference, on Thursday, April 14, in Kansas City, Mo., and is sponsored by Agri Marketing magazine.

Beginning in 1965 as the first full-time sales person for Unverferth Manufacturing Company, Fanger learned early how to build upon the company founders’ successes by listening not only to what customers say, but to dig deeper to determine what they really mean.  The knowledge he gained has sparked the innovation of new products and initiated numerous product enhancements that made them more valuable to farmers and increased dealer-customer profitability.

With Fanger’s appointment in 1991 as Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Unverferth continued to develop new products.  Throughout the ‘90s, he focused on expanding the hiring and training of a direct-sales force across North America.

Fanger’s innovative marketing and managerial abilities have helped the company prosper in both up and down markets.  Innovations, such as a dedicated dealer program, have helped the company gain market share and maintain a competitive edge.  Raising the level of partnerships with vendors has further positioned the company as a leader in implement manufacturing and technology.

As a long-standing member of Ohio NAMA, Fanger makes chapter events a priority and encourages others in the company’s marketing department to be active participants.  Throughout his tenure, several of his staff have served as chapter presidents and assisted at the national level.

Don’t forget to nominate the cream of the crop – Agribusiness Leader of the Year and NAMA Marketer of the Year.  The nomination deadline is just a few short weeks away!

Winners of these prestigious awards will be honored at the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13 – 15, in Kansas City, MO.  Celebrate the achievements and impressive careers of the very best in agriculture with NAMA.

NAMA’s highest honor, the Agribusiness Leader of the Year award recognizes leadership achievement in agriculture and the food and fiber industry. Solicited from senior level position holders in private, public or academic service, nominees should exemplify excellence in agribusiness by their significant contributions to the industry.

Application

Please download the application in Adobe PDF format or fill out the online nomination form.

Submission deadline is January 22, 2016.

NAMA Marketer of the Year:

NAMA recognizes an active member with senior management of marketing and/or sales responsibilities with the NAMA Marketer of the Year award. This award is the most prestigious honor awarded to an active member of the association and honors outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing directly to ag producers. Nominees are solicited from agribusiness and related companies with overall marketing and/or sales responsibilities.

Application:

Please download the application in Adobe PDF format or fill out the online nomination form.

Submission deadline is January 22, 2016.

Check out a list of current and past winners for Agribusiness Leader of the Year and NAMA Marketer of the Year.

If you have any questions about these awards, please contact Jenny Pickett at (913) 491-6500 or [email protected].

Nominate the cream of the crop – Agribusiness Leader of the Year and NAMA Marketer of the Year.  Check out a list of current and past winners for Agribusiness Leader of the Year and NAMA Marketer of the Year.

Winners of these prestigious awards will be honored at the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13 – 15, in Kansas City, MO.  Celebrate the achievements and impressive careers of the very best in agriculture with NAMA.

Agribusiness Leader of the Year Application:

Please download the application in Adobe PDF format or fill out the online nomination form.

NAMA Marketer of the Year Application:

Please download the application in Adobe PDF format or fill out the online nomination form.

Submission deadline is January 22, 2016.

If you have any questions about these awards, please contact Jenny Pickett at (913) 491-6500 or [email protected].

NAMA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Professional Development Awards. Each year, NAMA recognizes industry leaders at the very top of their respective fields. These prestigious awards acknowledge excellence in the areas of marketing communications, sales and public relations.

The 2015 Marketing Communications award recipient is Christine Hart-Nieland, Senior Account Manager at Brighton Agency. An agri-marketing veteran of nearly 25 years, today Chris is on the Brighton Ag Leadership team and directs several key brands for Monsanto. She’s also a devoted parent and spends much of her time mentoring young people. Christine is active in NAMA and recently served as chairman of NAMA’s annual conference. She currently serves as vice chair on the Best of NAMA Committee.

The Professional Development Award for Public Relations goes to Mary Gordon, Managing Supervisor, G&S Business Communications. She has successfully led the public relations campaigns for several strategic brands on behalf of her client, Syngenta, throughout her 13-year career at G&S Business Communications, but, most notably, within the past 18 months. Mary’s hard work and strategic recommendations for a three-pronged registration program to launch a new Syngenta corn herbicide were a great success. A longtime member of the Carolinas/Virginia NAMA chapter, Mary has served on her local Best of NAMA committee and serves as an exemplary agri-marketing role model to fellow NAMA members.

Eloise Seaman is awarded the Professional Development Award for Sales. As Senior National Account Manager for Vance Publishing — Protein Group, she leverages her vast knowledge of livestock markets to benefit her accounts. Eloise also champions industry audience research that leads to new business and new product offerings for Vance. She’s served as president of Mo-Kan NAMA and currently serves as president of Florida NAMA.

The professional development awards of excellence will be presented at the 2015 NAMA Fall Conference in Denver. The honorees will receive their awards during a morning session on Wednesday, September 24^th at The Curtis Hotel. For more information on the NAMA Fall Conference, visit http://www.nama.org/fall-conference/home.

The Professional Development Awards of Excellence honor NAMA members based on outstanding achievement in each of the Professional Development Areas (PDA). Awards of Excellence will be presented in the areas of (1) Marketing Communications, (2) Product/Species Management, (3) Public Relations and (4) Sales.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the Professional Development Awards of Excellence is July 24, 2015.  These awards will be presented at the 2015 Fall Conference, September 22 – 24, at The Curtis Hotel in Denver, CO.

Below is a list of the past Awards of Excellence recipients:

Marketing Communications
2014 – Ryan Parkin
2013 – Gary Sakin
2012 – Troy Schroeder
2011 – Margaret Fogarty
2010 – Scott McClure
2009 – Lou Ireland
2008 – Paul Redhage
2007 – Pete Kovac
2006 – Steve Engle
2005 – Bev Larson
2004 – Neil DeStefano
2003 – Sarah Vacek
2002 – Ken Anderson
2001 – Doug Headley

Product/Species Management
2014 – Kelly Smith
2013 – Zach Hetterick
2012 – Kevin Bien
2011 – Stephanie Gable
2010 – Elena Lindemann
2009 – Gary Robertson
2008 – No award was given in this area
2007 – Klaas Okkinga
2006 – No award was given in this area
2005 – Dennis Gehler
2004 – Wendy Elliott
2003 – Brian Markwardt
2002 – Tony Klemm
2001 – Tony Solon

Public Relations
2014 – Lisa Adams
2013 – Linda Romander
2012 – Justin Funk
2011 – Chuck Zimmerman
2010 – Sue Otten
2009 – Deron Johnson
2008 – Beth Andersen
2007 – Greg Smith
2006 – Barry Nelson
2005 – Janice Person
2004 – Kendal Frazier
2003 – Mike Ricciuto
2002 – David Buchholz
2001 – Ken Gordon

Sales
2014 – Gary Vorpahl
2013 – Jay Carlson
2012 – John Rozum
2011 – Sue Lee
2010 – Marvin Kokes
2009 – Pete Weil
2008 – Vernon Benes
2007 – Bill Heffron
2006 – Anita Vanderwert
2005 – Margaret Wallace Oldham
2004 – Allen Barkve
2003 – Cliff Becker
2002 – Bob Deiss
2001 – Tom Taylor

Nominees for the Awards of Excellence must be NAMA members. Nominators should target individuals with direct planning and execution responsibilities in the respective Professional Development Area from agribusiness and related companies. If you have any questions regarding these awards, please contact Jenny Pickett at [email protected].

You can either download the nomination form in an Adobe PDF format or fill out the online nomination form.