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COLUMBUS — The Ohio AgriBusiness Association announced the recipients of its 2023 Industry Excellence Awards.
The achievement as an emerging leader was awarded to Cristen Cramer, of Genoa, Ohio. She works for Legacy Farmers Cooperative. The excellence in customer service award went to Doug Bayless, of California, Kentucky, who works for Consolidated Grain & Barge Co.
Award recipients will be recognized at the 2023 OABA Industry Conference Feb. 1. Winners will receive a plaque and a $1,000 cash award.
The Industry Excellence Awards honor excellence, professionalism and achievement among OABA member companies and their employees.
The Achievement as an Emerging Leader Award is presented to an individual who represents the spirit of leadership as a growing agribusiness professional. Cramer of Genoa, Ohio, is the branch manager for Legacy Farmers Cooperative’s Fostoria location. In this position, she oversees budgeting, operational efficiency, project analysis and management, facility asset management, location safety, rail loading, customer service and management of the storage and blending of grain at an 8.5 million-bushel grain facility, as well as supervising all branch personnel. In addition, she coordinates and organizes personnel for all 10 Legacy Farmers Cooperative grain locations to enable efficiency in the grain division and cross divisions.
“Cristen’s leadership is on display every single day,” said Mark Sunderman, president and CEO of Legacy Farmers Cooperative, in a statement. “She is always transparent with her team and works hard to enable them to grow and set goals, working with them to accomplish those goals. Cristen is a great mentor and coach.”
The Excellence in Customer Service Award is presented to an individual who goes “above and beyond” in their service to customers in order to define what excellent customer service looks like and recognize those whose contributions may often go unnoticed.
The 2023 recipient Bayless is the control center operator at Consolidated Grain & Barge Co.’s Riverside barge-loading facility in Cincinnati,
He’s the primary person responsible for interacting and communicating with farmer customers on a daily basis. He handles quality issues, controlling the operations of the grain handling system, segregating, and maintaining grain quality within the facility.
Bayless is a 25-year veteran with CBG, serving at different points of his career in every role at the facility from maintenance to grain grading and scale operations, and barge loading to deck-hand and truck dumping.
“Doug exhibits two of the highest character traits – honesty and a positive attitude,” said Travis Algren, senior merchandiser for CGB. “He prioritizes solving customer issues and safety, helping new drivers or farmers at the facility, and always giving an honest answer with a follow-up solution when problems arise. His ‘glass half full’ attitude and his positivity are contagious amongst his colleagues and peers.”
OABA is a membership-based state trade association that includes the manufacturers and wholesale/retail suppliers of plant nutrient and protection materials, the grain warehousing and marketing industry, the feed and seed industry, as well as companies providing equipment, financing, insurance, consulting and other products and services for the agribusiness industry. OABA is also the administrator of the Ohio Certified Crop Adviser Program, 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program and Ohio Agricultural Council. For more information, visit oaba.net.
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Ohio AgriBusiness Association announces excellence awards – Farm and Dairy
