Poultry & Meat

New Leadership for USA Poultry & Egg Export Council

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Mike Little, director of export sales at Mountaire Farms in Selbyville, Delaware, has been elected chairman of the board of the Stone Mountain, Georgia-headquartered USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) for 2014-15.

He succeeds outgoing Chairman Charles von der Heyde, president of Pilgrim’s of Mexico, and former vice president of international sales at Pilgrim’s headquarters in Greeley, Colorado. Little’s election came on June 12 during USAPEEC’s annual meeting in Big Sky, Montana.

USAPEEC 2014Outgoing USAPEEC Chairman Charles von der Heyde of Pilgrim’s Mexico (left) passes the ceremonial gavel to Mike Little of Mountaire Farms, who assumes the chairmanship for 2014-15.As chairman, Little will head the eight-member USAPEEC executive committee, which sets policy and gives direction to the Council, an organization whose mission is to promote and increase exports of US chicken, turkey, duck, and egg products worldwide.

Also elected to the executive committee was Jim Wayt of Intervision Foods in Atlanta, Georgia, as first vice chairman; and Steve Monroe of Sanderson Farms in Laurel, Mississippi, as second vice chairman. Joel Coleman, vice president and general manager of international sales at Butterball in Mt. Olive, North Carolina, was re-elected secretary-treasurer of the organization.

Neil Carey of Simmons Prepared Foods in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, was re-elected chairman of USAPEEC’s marketing committee. The chairman of this committee also serves on the board and has a seat on the executive committee.

Rounding out the executive committee as newly appointed at-large members are Steve Lykken of Jennie-O Turkey Store, and Greg Tench of Mar-Jac Poultry. Von der Heyde will remain on the executive as past-chairman.

Board members elected to three-year terms ending in 2017 are Carey, Little and Tench, along with Scott Chapman of Lineage Logistics, Trent Goins of OK Foods, Butch Johnson of Globex International, Thierry Murad of AJC International, Jay Simpson of Perdue Foods, and Chaz Wilson of Grove Services.

Board members whose terms end in 2016 are Ryan Downes of Farbest Foods, Larry Gibson of George’s, Jeff Johnson of Michael Foods, Sher Marshall of Interra International, Andrew Piper of Wayne Farms, Kent Puffenbarger of Prestage Foods, Bobby Wilburn of Peco Foods and von der Heyde.

Board members whose terms end in 2015 are Coleman, Wayt, Lykken, Monroe, Mark Blanchard of New Orleans Cold Storage, Greg Hinton of Rose Acre Farms, Saher Rizk of Mirasco, and Claudio Saviano of House of Raeford.