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William Davisson

William Davisson

CEO (retired), of GROWMARK, Inc.

Throughout his career at GROWMARK, Davisson never lost sight of the organization’s vision – to be the best agricultural cooperative system in North American – and its mission to improve the long-term profitability of its member-owners. Beginning as a CPA in the Finance Division, he took progressively more responsible positions until his selection as CEO in 1998, a position he held until his retirement in 2010. As CEO he put the focus on sales and improvement in operations and lead GROMARK through a period of strong growth, including the top three incomes years in the cooperative’s history. He recognized the value of co-op partnerships and joint ventures in an increasingly competitive industry and he partnered with member co-ops to create an innovative co-op structure that has led to improved cash patronage flow back to GROWMARK members. He has also been a long time advocate for the co-op movement and his support for education included funding co-op education at land grant universities, support of the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership (GICL), and the development of a leadership program at Illinois State University for high-potential employees.

Shirley Sherrod

Shirley Sherrod

Inducted: 2011

A passionate civil rights advocate, community and cooperative organizer, Shirley Miller Sherrod has spent decades immersed in rural land issues, fighting for economic and social justice and access to land for those who have been marginalized by the system.

She was a co-founder of New Communities, a 6000-acre cooperative farm that for 15 years was the largest black-owned farming organization in the country and served as a beacon of hope for many.  As the Federation of Southern Cooperatives’ Georgia State Director, she developed an excellent outreach, education, and technical assistance program for limited resource farmers and helped launch several cooperatives.  She helped found the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative and has worked tirelessly to eradicate the historical race, class, cultural, religious, and gender barriers experienced by southern rural black women.

Sherrod’s efforts have been courageous, innovative, and effective.  For four decades, she has remained steadfast in her commitment to help poor people overcome the income inequalities that have persisted for generations.  She has used the cooperative model to help them build sustainable rural communities and ultimately improve the quality of their lives.

 

Noel Estenson

Noel Estenson

Inducted:2011

Noel K. Estenson’s visionary leadership and willingness to take bold steps positioned agricultural cooperative members for 21st century success in the competitive global marketplace. Throughout his nearly 40-year career, he recognized the value of new business structures — joint ventures and mergers — as a means of creating operating efficiencies that built stronger cooperative organizations.

In the early 1980s, he led the formation of the ground-breaking joint venture between Cenex, Inc. and Land O’Lakes Inc. that eliminated duplication in both cooperatives’ agricultural supply and energy operations. In 1998, Estenson envisioned the long-term strategic value for member-owners of uniting supply cooperative Cenex with its grains and foods counterpart, Harvest States Cooperatives, which culminated in the largest unification in co-op history.

The resulting creation of CHS Inc., has returned value to its member-owners across the U.S. through reliable supplies of agricultural inputs, a competitive position in the global grain markets and unprecedented financial returns. Estenson served as CEO of CHS until his retirement in 2000.

 

 

Douglas D. Sims

Inducted: 2008

For nearly four decades Doug Sims worked tirelessly on behalf of farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, and cooperatives as a leader in the Farm Credit System. As CEO of CoBank for 12 of those years, he successfully managed 15 mergers and acquisitions, effectively growing CoBank into a premier cooperative institution and expanding its capacity to serve customers.

A visionary leader, Sims not only helped the Farm Credit System survive the downturn in the farm economy in the early 1980s, but also played a key role in its subsequent reorganization and the creation of CoBank in 1988.

Throughout his career Sims believed firmly in helping cooperatives succeed both as businesses and as integral parts of their communities.  As a part of this effort he was committed to on-going cooperative education, and was an ardent supporter of programs for young leaders.

Internationally, Sims advocated for the creation of the ACE Center to create new marketing for co-op products in Europe, led various delegations to global trade meetings to grow and enhance our cooperative system, and opened CoBank’s first representative office outside of the United States.

Gary Hanman

Inducted: 2008

With a more than four-decades-old career, devoted solely to dairy farmers and their cooperatives, Gary Hanman has forged an agricultural legacy of achievement and leadership. His work has truly blazed a trail for dairy farmers and their cooperatives.  Throughout his career, he has worked diligently to unify dairy farmers in an effort to maximize their returns from the marketplace and to provide unparalleled service.

A highlight of his visionary leadership was the creation of Dairy Farmer’s of America (DFA), which he helped establish by assembling four diverse cooperatives into a single entity and growing it into the nation’s largest dairy cooperative.  Hanman served as DFA’s President and CEO from it’s inception until his retirement in 2005.

Hanman’s innovative thinking and respected leadership led to many meaningful farm policies and dairy programs.  For example, he helped incubate Cooperatives Working Together, a national voluntary supply-management program funded and directed by dairy farmers.  At the International Level, he helped forge a joint venture with DFA and a New Zealand based dairy cooperative.  These and other such programs have not only helped sustain dairy farmers, but have provided consumers with a top quality supply of milk and dairy products.

John E. Gherty

John E. Gherty

Inducted:  2007

Jack Gherty devoted 35 years to cooperatives and agribusiness, 16 of which were as President and CEO of Land O’Lakes, Inc. Under his leadership, Land O’Lakes transformed from a regional to a national farmer-owned business and membership organization, giving producers a powerful presence in the marketplace and a strong voice in the policy arena.

Gherty always emphasized the value of cooperatives in serving the needs of farmers and rural communities. He was an innovative leader who spearheaded a precedent-setting joint venture between Land O’Lakes and Cenex that established a new model for cooperative business activity. He also was a driving force behind the establishment of the Land O’Lakes Foundation, which serves rural communities, and the Land O’Lakes International Development Division, which provides humanitarian and economic development assistance on a global basis.

An active volunteer, Gherty served on numerous special committees and boards within the cooperative community, including 16 years on the board of the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership, which he helped build it into a preeminent educational program.

Jean Jantzen

Jean Jantzen

Inducted: 2007

A leader in cooperatives for four decades, Jean Jantzen is known as a dedicated, respected, and talented champion for the cooperative way of doing business. She is a role model who not only devoted her own career to cooperatives, but also dedicated herself to developing the next generation of cooperative leaders.

Jantzen served CHS Inc. (and its predecessors) for 35 years, starting in an entry level position and rising to become one of the organization’s first female vice presidents. Throughout her career she emphasized the importance of quality cooperative education. She developed her organization’s first young leader program, began conducting Women’s Leadership Conferences, and was pivotal in building the CHS Foundation, which provides more than $1.3 million a year for cooperative education, rural development and other programs

Her volunteer activities have been similarly impressive. She served as a trustee of The Cooperative Foundation for 15 years, and was a valued leader for many organizations, including NCBA, CCA, NCFC and AIC. And, her efforts as board chair of HealthPartners during a time of significant challenges helped preserve the member-owned structure of the nation’s largest consumer-owned, non-profit health plan.

Thomas L. Lyon

Inducted: 2006

Described as an innovator, visionary and pioneer, Tom Lyon devoted his life’s work to building cooperatives for the future. Cooperatives at the local, state, national and international levels have benefited from his experience, wisdom, organizational skills and professionalism. He formed the first U.S. holding cooperative, Cooperative Resources International (CRI), a cutting-edge business model that preserved member ownership and equity through cooperation among cooperatives. As CRI’s first CEO, Lyon grew this new model into a successful business with global prominence.

Lyon always demonstrated a willingness to implement new concepts to make cooperatives more successful in changing business environments. He created the “blueprint” for CooperationWorks!, the national network of co-op development centers and served on the task force that made it a reality. He also helped create Cooperative Development Services, an organization providing technical assistance for co-op start-ups. A prime example would be Kids in the Kountry, a rural co-op daycare center for which he gathered seed money to launch. Today, it is a successful cooperative and often used as a model for others.

In addition, he is a strong advocate of co-op education. He was heavily involved in the University of Wisconsin system, often building links between scholars and co-op leaders. He was a Trustee for both The Cooperative Foundation and the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership. And, to ensure generation of highly qualified cooperative practitioners, he led the creation of the Ralph K. Morris Foundation scholarship program.

Frank Morton Hunt, II

 

Inducted: 2006

Since launching his co-op career with Hunt Bros. Cooperative in 1950, Frank Morton Hunt, II, has worked to strengthen the cooperative movement. He believes that a cooperative is the best thing for a farmer, and always looks for cooperative solutions to challenges. Throughout his 53-year career, he helped create multiple co-op businesses and served on various boards and committees in the co-op industry.

In particular, Hunt is a respected leader within the citrus industry. He served on Citrus World, Inc.’s Board of Directors for 51 years, including 30 years as its Chairman and President. Under his leadership Citrus World changed from a producer-oriented co-op to a market-oriented co-op that developed a premium brand with a new, national marketing campaign. This campaign, true to Hunt’s belief in cooperatives, openly acknowledges the farmer-owners of Florida’s Natural products with its slogan, “We own the land, we own the trees, we own the company!”

Hunt also played a key role in shaping the future of the farm credit system when he helped develop the plan to create CoBank by consolidating the 13 existing cooperative banks. After courageously advocating for this proposal, he served on CoBank’s board during its formative years and helped guide the organization’s strategic direction.

Henry H. Schriver

Henry Shriver

Inducted:2004

A farmer and a true believer in the cooperative model, Henry Schriver’s involvement in cooperatives spans 61 years. He is nationally recognized as an educator, co-op advocate, and organizer whose belief in the power of people working together is unparalleled. Many refer to him as the “Co-op Philosopher” due to his personal dedication to cooperative principles and encouraging others to live by them.

The number of young farmers he has motivated to get involved in cooperatives is legendary. He has made more than 3,000 speeches and participated in a multitude of co-op workshops over the years, and for 37 consecutive years was a featured speaker at the National Institute of Cooperative Education.

He further expanded his outreach by making an educational film titled “Cows, Kids and Co-ops” that was used in U.S. classrooms and throughout the world to help teach cooperation, and by visiting both Taiwan and Russia to share his cooperative and agricultural expertise.

Incredibly, Schriver did all of this as a volunteer, as he was never an employee of a cooperative.

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