Join us for lunch and the Professional Development Awards of Excellence Program on Wednesday, November 12, at Trends In Agriculture!

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 and Sales. The recipients will share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in agri-marketing at the luncheon.

The 2008 Awards of Excellence recipients are as follows:

Marketing Communications
Paul Redhage, FMC Communications Manager, FMC Agricultural Products

In his current position with FMC, Paul has overseen marketing communications strategies for the introduction and/or major label expansion of 22 products and new brands in the past two years. The innovative, cost-effective strategies that Paul and his team implement have given FMC a reputation as a savvy, smart and fast-growing player in the very aggressive, competitive agricultural chemical marketplace. Although he works with budgets that are a fraction of the size of his competitors, the creativity and relevancy of the work he oversees for FMC keeps the company and its brands at the forefront of the agricultural chemical industry.

Paul has a long and distinguished record of service to NAMA. He was a member of the Carolinas/Virginia Chapter for many years as well as the Chesapeake NAMA chapter and served in various leader positions for both chapters. He has served on the NAMA Careers Committee and this past April, he received the Dilworth Award for Innovation at the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference. Paul is currently a Gateway chapter member and is serving as a vice president on the NAMA Executive Committee.

Public Relations
Beth Andersen, Senior Vice President, Managing Partner, Charleston Orwig, Inc.

Beth has combined a keen ability to effectively lead high-level strategy and planning efforts with an exemplary work ethic to direct an issues management team that has turned Smithfield Foods from a seemingly uncaring conglomerate to a highly respected company in the food industry. As team leader for the Charleston Orwig issues management practice, Beth directed development and implementation of a drastic change in the communications program formerly employed by Smithfield Foods. The shift created a proactive platform for meeting potential and existing crises head-on, positioning the company as a leader in several critical areas – environmental stewardship, animal welfare, employee relations and community involvement.

Beth has been a NAMA member for nearly 10 years. Throughout her career, Beth has volunteered to participate on various NAMA committees and assisted in judging Best of NAMA competitions. Her insight on ag issues and trends has provided guidance on discussion topics and ideas to NAMA members for the planning of Badger NAMA meetings.

Sales
Vernon Benes, Director of Business Development, Beck Ag, Inc.

Vernon, a 25-year agriculture industry veteran, has a deep understanding of effective sales and marketing strategies in the crop protection channel. As Director of Business Development for Beck Ag, a position he has held for nearly 10 years, he has made grower profitability a top priority. It’s a philosophy that forms the foundation of the successful marketing and sales programs he’s developed that led to long-term adoption of various products and services at the producer level. Through Vernon’s leadership, Beck Ag was able to promote a key Monsanto product and give growers the opportunity to adopt cutting-edge production practices to improve their bottom line. In the process, he cultivated Monsanto loyalty and increased Monsanto revenues.

Vernon has been affiliated with NAMA since the late 90s and has served on the NAMA National Membership Committee. He has taken an active role at the chapter level with his Midlands Chapter membership and currently serves as first vice president of programs for Midlands.

Join us as we honor these outstanding individuals on November 12. The Luncheon is sponsored by Truffle Media Networks and the Professional Development Awards of Excellence are sponsored by Farm Progress Companies.

To register for Trends In Agriculture visit, http://payment.nama.org/trends.htm.