GEAPS Recognizes Outstanding Members, Chapters from 2019

Each year The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) recognizes members and chapters for outstanding accomplishments, including earning credentials from GEAPS and K-State; reaching membership milestones; and completing the year without a safety incident. GEAPS recognizes the following individuals for their accomplishments in 2019:

GEAPS and K-State recognized the following individuals who earned credentials in 2019:

Master Credential in Grain Operations Management

Keith Anderson, United Grain Corp, Columbia River Chapter
Jay Bergland, GEAPS
Steven Chivilo, Lewis M Carter Mfg Co, Canadian Prairies
Dennis Doles, AgriMech Consulting LLC, Kansas City
Mark Emery, CHS Inc
Wayne Hunter, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Randy Tinker, Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Co, Greater Iowa

Credential in Grain Operations Management

Crisanto Carrasco, CHS Inc, Gulf South
Jordan Classen, Cargill Inc, Greater Nebraska
Paul DeBussac, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Paul Evans, Farmer's Cooperative Association, Inc., Kansas City
Braidy Fehr, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Robert Halushka, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Susan Kelso, Hansen-Mueller Co
Rhonda Knutson, United Grain Corp, Minneapolis
Daryl McCharles, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Anthony McElwain, Legacy Farmers Cooperative, Seaway
Michael O'Connor, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Carlos Rodriguez, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Dean Sansome, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Tiago Van Zeller Teixeira Da Silva, DACSA Atlantic SA, Non-Chapter
Joshua Thorkildsen, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd

Specialist Credential in Grain Handling Equipment Management

Brett Aanestad, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Keith Anderson, United Grain Corp, Columbia River
Steven Chivilo, Lewis M Carter Mfg Co, Canadian Prairies
Jacob Crockford, IBT Industrial Solutions, Great Plains
Mark Emery, CHS Inc
Wayne Hunter, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd

Specialist Credential in Grain Quality Management

Tina Barrett, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Jay Bergland, GEAPS
Dennis Doles, AgriMech Consulting LLC, Kansas City
Adam Gorsuch, Michigan Agricultural Commodities, Michigan/So. Ontario
Calvin Kerr, Goderich Elevators (Division of Parrish & Heimbecker), Michigan/So. Ontario
Dirk Koster, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Tiago Van Zeller, Teixeira Da Silva, DACSA Atlantic SA
Randy Tinker, Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Co, Greater Iowa

Specialist Credential in Property and Casualty Risk Management

Keith Anderson, United Grain Corp, Columbia River
Jay Bergland, GEAPS
Steven Chivilo, Lewis M Carter Mfg Co, Canadian Prairies
Oscar Cuellar, Richardson International Ltd, Non-Chapter
Dennis Doles, AgriMech Consulting LLC, Kansas City
Mark Emery, CHS Inc
Randy Tinker, Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Co, Greater Iowa

Credential in Grain Processing Management

Mark Emery, CHS Inc
Chad Olson, Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd
Matthew Schmitt, Keen Project Solutions LLC, Greater Iowa
Randy Tinker, Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Co, Greater Iowa

Membership Milestones

25-Year Members
GEAPS is pleased to recognize members who each celebrated a quarter century of continuous membership. Each received a silver pin honoring their service to the organization.

Kevin McNab, Louis Dreyfus Company, Columbia River
Bill Frogner, Integrated Solutions Group, Minneapolis
John Cherney, Berendsen Fluid Power Ltd, Canadian Prairies
Jeffrey Hahn, Agrex Inc, Seaway
Dion Etter, Producers Rice Mill Inc, Mid-South
Myron Rust, Ludlow Cooperative Elevator Co, Cornbelt
Tracy Gliori, TMI Coatings Inc, Minneapolis
Mike Kelley, Smith-Doyle Contractors Inc, Mid-South
Doug Berner, All-State Belting, Kansas City
Carl Wargel, Non-Chapter
Daryl Watts, North Iowa
Mark Bonk, Minneapolis
Gary Beachner, Beachner Grain Inc, Great Plains
Marcus Mears, Cargill Inc, Minneapolis
David Ayers, Champaign-Danville Grain Inspection, Cornbelt
Michael Resner, The Essmueller Co, Cornbelt
Rick Horpedahl, Inland Empire
Mark Hutchison, Gulf South
Mel Fedeniuk, LV Control Mfg Ltd, Canadian Prairies
Jeff Showalter, Cargill Inc, Greater Iowa
Deborah Good, Cornbelt

40-Year Members
GEAPS is thrilled to recognize members who celebrated 40 consecutive years of membership. Each member received a bronze GEAPS pin to commemorate the milestone.

Ralph Baughman, Intl Fumigators Inc, Golden Triangle
Harlan Lund, Greater Iowa
Roy House, Great Plains
Mark Daniels, Minneapolis
Steve Kimes, Minneapolis
Donna Moraz, DeeRoss Co Inc, Minneapolis
Gary Olmstead, Non-Chapter
Karl Keller, Keller Grain & Feed Inc, Seaway
James Given, Thunder Bay
Harold Sinfield, Thunder Bay
Mick Sertich, Twin Ports

50-Year Members
GEAPS is thrilled to recognize one member who celebrated 50 consecutive years of membership. Honorees received a gold GEAPS pin to commemorate the milestone.

Bob Lenhart, Columbia River
Richard Bigler, Commodity Services Inc, Kansas City
George Kornstad, Non-Chapter

Chapter Member of Distinction
GEAPS recognized three outstanding individuals with Chapter Member of Distinction. Chapter officers submit nominations to recognize outstanding contributions to leadership and service to their chapters.

Mark Hueftle, Cooperative Producers Inc., Greater Nebraska
Colin McClure, PMI Nebraska, Greater Nebraska 
Lorraine Lego, Alliance Grain Terminal Ltd, Vancouver

Top Recruiters
GEAPS members are constantly recruiting their friends, colleagues and suppliers. GEAPS is pleased to report that 89 members recruited a total of 114 new members this year.

9 Members Recruited
R. Scott Brittingham, MCGOM, Mountaire Farms Inc, Mid-Atlantic

5 Members Recruited
Barbara Grove, CGOM, Central Valley Ag Cooperative, Great Plains

3 Members Recruited
Karilyn Smith, Donaldson Co Inc, Minneapolis
Denis Tetrault, FWS Group of Companies, Canadian Prairies

Chapter Awards
GEAPS also honored two chapters with the Outstanding Chapter Award and Chapter Cup. The Outstanding Chapter Award went to the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, based in Salisbury, Maryland. Jason Illum, Bedeschi America Inc, was one of the judges for the award. He said two of the things that stood out for him were how the chapter reached out to non-members and incorporated Associate members into meetings.

Another judge, David McKerchar, Parrish & Heimbecker, said it was a difficult decision to choose between the top three chapters.  “Some of the things the chapters that were in the top three all did were outstanding,” McKerchar said. “It came down to who was doing everything well and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter did a great job covering all areas of chapter involvement.” 

Minneapolis won the Chapter Cup. The Chapter Resource Committee bestows the award annually to the chapter that has highest recruitment of new members and retention of existing members. Minneapolis recruited 39 new members and retained 84.09 percent of their previous members.

Safety Awards
GEAPS longest running awards program is the annual Safety Awards. A complete list of winners is available on the GEAPS website. Each year the association recognizes the five facilities with the most cumulative hours without an incident and the companies with the most consecutive years without an incident.

Top Facilities: Cumulative Hours

Top Facilities: Consecutive Years

GEAPS is an international professional association that supports its members and the industry by serving as The Knowledge Resource for the world of grain handling and processing industry operations. GEAPS addresses the industry’s critical grain handling, storage and processing operations needs by providing the finest networking, professional development programs and access to a global marketplace of equipment, services and technology solutions providers. GEAPS’ global network of industry professionals includes more than 2,500 individual members from about 1,050 companies.

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