Join us for lunch on Wednesday, November 11 at Trends In Agriculture, as we honor the 2009 Professional Development Awards of Excellence Recipients.

NAMA honors its members with hands-on responsibility in each of the Professional Development Areas (PDA). This year, awards will be given in the areas of Marketing Communications, Public Relations, Product/Species Management and Sales. The recipients will share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in agri-marketing at the luncheon.

The 2009 Awards of Excellence recipients are as follows:

Marketing Communications ~ Lou Ireland, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
Lou’s enthusiasm and ability to spark creative thinking have distinguished her as a leader at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., where she is Senior Marketing Manager of North American Sales/Marketing Communications. These qualities are particularly evident in the collaborative, yet challenging environment she creates among stakeholders. Lou is always striving for better, more effective ways to communicate.

Her hard work has led to large gains in the hybrid seed corn category. Lou also led the most successful new product launch in Pioneer’s history, Y Series soybeans. Pioneer has enjoyed one of its most successful years ever. That success is due in large part to Lou’s leadership and talent.

In addition to winning numerous awards for advertising, public relations and publications, Lou has helped to revamp Pioneer’s trade show presence. She has also initiated social media campaigns to assist in the global launch of rebranding activities.

Lou is committed to professional development and advances her own skills through continuing education and leadership positions with organizations such as ABEF and the AMA. She also remains heavily involved in NAMA, both locally and nationally.

Public Relations ~ Deron Johnson, Rhea + Kaiser Marketing ­ Communications
A 20-year veteran of the agricultural communications industry, Deron’s career has been built upon solid experience as both an agricultural editor, as well as a leader with the top-tier agencies and clients he has served.

At each stage of his career, he’s taken past experiences and used them to build innovative approaches and professional positions that more effectively serve his client’s businesses.

After joining Rhea + Kaiser as Director of Public Relations in 2005, Deron doubled the size of the agency’s PR division, building business with current R+K clients. He also played an integral role in bringing new PR clients, such as ADM, to the agency.

Most importantly, Deron led the development of proprietary PR measurement tools that not only helped clarify the benefit of the agency’s work to clients and their CFOs, but also provided critical analytical capabilities that proved to be the tipping point to at least two key new business wins.

Deron also focuses on building strong teams in support of client and organizational goals, as well as driving excellence and integrity in the execution of public relations. This focus has created a strong, fun, team-oriented culture within R+K’s PR group.

For the past three years, Deron has served as a lead member of National NAMA’s Careers Committee, helping to breathe new energy into this important long-term development initiative.

Product/Species Management ~ Gary Robertson, Fort Dodge Animal Health
Gary is just as comfortable (or more) in boots sorting cattle at the feedlot as he is wearing a coat and tie in the boardroom. His combination of hands-on experience and visionary marketing skills make him a strong force on the Fort Dodge Animal Health Team where he serves as Marketing Manager of Livestock Biologicals.

The numbers tell the story. Gary meticulously analyzed the sales numbers and public image of a brand suffering from lagging performance and a tarnished reputation. Based on his findings, he formulated a plan and set objectives that ultimately repositioned the brand and delivered a 32 percent increase in sales.

Gary has also streamlined communication between internal manufactur­ing and production teams to reduce back orders by 55%. His innovative, yet practical thinking allow him to keep customers happy while penetrating competitive markets.

He’s not afraid to push the envelope either. Whether it’s taking a chance on new media or rallying co-workers to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to apply floor decals on a convention center sidewalk in cover of darkness, he’s willing to try unusual approaches to solve problems.

And though his busy travel schedule keeps him away from more local NAMA meetings than he would like, Gary is a strong NAMA advocate and has always generously supported the ­organization.

Sales ~ Pete Weil, High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal
When it comes to innovation and industry impact, Pete Weil is a natural. As National Accounts Manager for High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal, he’s responsible for a multi-million dollar sales budget and a 21 person sales team.

Since ascending to the position in 2005, Pete has used his unique selling style and managerial know-how to take sales growth to new heights. In 2008, a year of less than fertile sales potential, he increased sales 20% over 2007 numbers.

Pete creatively answers his clients’ needs for novel and innovative ways to get their messages out, including interactive seminars and programs, targeted social networking and behind-the-scenes media coverage.

Pete has been a strong supporter of NAMA and its local chapter, Great Plains, for many years.  He has been chairman of the Program committee and has been President of the chapter twice.  He has shown his support by attending national conferences every year for the past 25+ years.

To register for the Trends In Agriculture conference visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=5.