AFIA Honors Feed Industry "Greats"
May 13, 2021
Contact Lacie Dotterweich, Manager of Communications and Social Media
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is proud to announce four awards honoring those who have supported the animal food industry over the past year and throughout their careers. The AFIA congratulates all AFIA members for receiving the AFIA 2021 Member of the Year Award; Rurik B. “R.B.” Halaby, formerly with AgriCapital Corporation, for receiving the 2021 Distinguished Service Award; Bill McLean, of The Essmueller Company, for receiving the 2021 AFIA-Kansas State University Feed Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement Award; and Steve Kopperud, of SLK Strategies, for being named posthumously an AFIA Honorary Board Director.
“At every turn, this past year has tested our industry’s ability to perform our essential work of producing safe and nutritious animal food, but we have emerged more resilient than ever, thanks in part to the caliber of our people, several of whom we are recognizing today,” said AFIA President and CEO Constance Cullman during the AFIA’s annual Board of Directors meeting held virtually on Thursday. “We congratulate and thank Steve, R.B. and Bill for their dedication to the betterment of our industry throughout their careers and our over 650 member companies for their commitment and perseverance during these challenging times.”
AFIA Member of the Year
In an unprecedented move, the AFIA named its entire membership as the recipient of its 2021 Member of the Year Award, for their essential work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Member of the Year Award is typically presented to an AFIA member who exhibits outstanding support in achieving the organization’s goals and objectives throughout the year.
“This year, all AFIA members went above the call of duty to identify challenges, share lessons learned and ‘lean in’ to support one another,” said Cullman. “We may be a small industry, but we are certainly a mighty one, and I cannot thank the employees at our over 650 member companies enough for overcoming the many personal and professional obstacles to see to it that the country’s domestic livestock and pets were fed and our grocery store shelves remained stocked. Not only that, their commitment to their local communities shined through as they found ways to give back through millions of dollars in food and pet food donations, support of healthcare workers and more. Our members are truly remarkable!”
AFIA Distinguished Service Award
The AFIA honored Halaby with the 2021 Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the feed industry. The Distinguished Service Award is AFIA’s highest honor and is given to the elite members of the U.S. animal food industry who have provided outstanding support to the AFIA and the entire animal food industry throughout their careers.
Halaby has been very involved in the AFIA and the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), serving on the AFIA Board of Directors and Executive Committee twice during his career, as well as on the planning committee for the 2010 Executive Leadership Summit. Halaby was one of the first individual gold-level donors to IFEEDER, as he understood how important it is to not only donate to the industry, but to have agriculture’s voice be heard in consumer conversations. He is known to be engaging and passionate about building bridges across various aspects of agriculture.
AFIA-KSU Feed Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement Award
The AFIA honored McLean with the AFIA-Kansas State University Feed Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong support and advocacy of the feed industry. The award recognizes and honors U.S. animal food industry retirees, or those who are no longer serving the industry or allied industries, who have made significant contributions to the animal food manufacturing business in the U.S. throughout their careers. Individuals are nominated in the areas of business, science and technology. The AFIA and KSU first presented the award in 1995 and only 21 individuals have received the award to date.
McLean spent his entire career at The Essmueller Company, starting with the company in 1971 as a member of the sales department to becoming owner and president in 1986. McLean has supported the industry for many years, serving on the AFIA Equipment Manufacturers Committee for over 25 years and on the AFIA Board of Directors. He is widely regarded as a mentor to many professionals in the industry, addressing graduating agriculture students on international business as a guest lecturer at KSU.
AFIA Honorary Board Director
The AFIA honored Kopperud, who died in October 2020, as an Honorary Board Director for his service to the animal food industry over his 35-year career. This is the first time this honor has been given. Kopperud served as the senior vice president of legislative affairs at the AFIA for more than 20 years and as a government affairs consultant for almost 15 years, before semi-retiring in 2019. He founded the Animal Industry Foundation, now the Animal Agriculture Alliance, in the 1980s as a forum for producer and industry organizations, dedicated to providing information on the vital role ranchers and farmers play in promoting animal welfare and act as a unified voice for agriculture in advancing positive animal welfare policy to the public and other industries.
In honor of this award, the AFIA made a donation to a scholarship created in his honor at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Editorial Note: Videos of each of the award winners along with additional background on their awards can be found on the AFIA Feed Bites Blog. To obtain permission to embed the videos or obtain high-resolution files of the images above to use for editorial purposes, contact Lacie Dotterweich, AFIA’s manager of communications and social media.