Mike Horn, president and CEO, Pennfield Corporation, Lancaster, Pa, was named chairman of AFIA on May 18 at the Board of Directors meeting in Arlington, Va. He succeeds Robert Gallaway, Ridley, Inc., Mankato, Minn., who holds the distinction of serving as one of the Association’s longest running elected officers, having held the chairmanship post since September 2004. Gallaway played an instrumental role in the Association’s recent restructuring and will continue to serve on the board as ex-officio.
Horn has been with Pennfield Corporation, a fourth-generation family business, since he was a teenager. Throughout his nearly 40-year career, he has worked in and managed every area of the feed business, including feed manufacturing, delivery, purchasing, sales, service and marketing.
Horn has been extremely active in AFIA affairs. Horn’s vast experience in animal agriculture and end user products have positioned him as a prominent advocate and leader for the Association’s Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification program. In addition, he played a leading role in the recent redesign of AFIA and development of the unique, new AFIA model. He has served as chairman of two key task forces: one on finances and the other on overall redesign. Horn also served previously on the Director Nominating Committee, Transportation and Budget Committees. In 2005, he was honored by AFIA with the prestigious Member of the Year award.
James Sullivan, AFIA chair-elect, has held the position of president of International Ingredient Corporation, Fenton, Mo., since 1993. Over the 30 years he has spent in the animal feed industry, he has held positions as a nutritionist, technical service, research management, marketing, sales management and general management. He holds a doctorate degree in Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois.
In recent months, Sullivan has led the initiative to review the Association’s committee and councils in order to streamline the structure to be more attuned to member needs and interests. He will succeed Horn as chairman in May 2007.
Fourteen new directors assumed their posts on the AFIA Board at the group’s meeting May 17-18 in Arlington, Va. Their terms will run from May 2006 to May 2009. The new directors include:
Kevin Bates, PerforMix Nutrition Systems, Nampa, ID
Peggy Farrell-Kidd, Buckeye Nutrition, Dalton, OH
Martha Furst, Furst-McNess Company, Freeport, IL
Jim Hensen, Dakota Gold Marketing, Sioux Falls, SD
Mark Lyons, Alltech, Inc., Co. Meath, Ireland
Randy Maclin, Phibro Animal Health, Ridgefield Park, NJ
William J. Merrick, Merrick’s, Inc., Reno, NV
Christopher Smith, H.J. Baker & Bro., Inc., Westport, CT
Marvin Sussman, Prince Agri Products Co., Ridgefield Park, NJ
Kevin Toles, WLT Distributors, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Steven Van Roekel, Ridley, Inc., Mankato, MN
Kenneth Vaupel, Alfagreen Supreme, Toledo, OH
Noel White, Hi-Pro Feeds, Friona, TX
Ted Williams, D&D Ingredient Distributors, Delphos, OH
Members of the Association’s Board of Directors represent all sectors of the AFIA membership. They are elected annually by balloting by the full membership. Member companies are entitled to cast one ballot toward the proposed slate of nominees and/or write in candidates.
