ARA Distinguished Service Award
The ARA Distinguished Service Award honors an individual member of the association who has gone above and beyond the traditional responsibility to support the ag retail industry and the association – making the industry better for all. The individual chosen for this award is selected by the ARA Executive Committee. The designee may come from any of the membership categories in ARA: retail, distributor, or manufacturer of equipment, chemicals and fertilizer.
2022 ARA Distinguished Service Award Winners
ARA announced Gary Vogen, vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs at Yara North America, as the winner of the Distinguished Service Awards during the 2022 ARA Conference & Expo. Learn more about his contributions to the ag retail industry and read more in the news release.
Past Recipients
- 2021 - Anne Yargus Sheehy and Meg Yargus Steward of AGI Fertilizer Systems (previously Yargus) (news release)
- 2020 - John Oster, Morral Companies (news release) Watch Video
- 2019 - Tim McArdle, Brandt Co. (news release)
- 2018 - Billy Willard and Bob Willard, Willard Agri-Service
- 2017 - Steve Nielsen, United Suppliers
- 2016 - Jamie Southard, The Equity
- 2015- J. Billy Pirkle, Crop Production Services
- 2014 - Paul Derig, J.R. Simplot
- 2013 - Rod Schroeder, WinField Solutions
- 2012 - Ken Manning, Wilbur-Ellis Company
- 2011 - Dan Weber, Ceres Solutions
- 2010 - Kim Bohlander, Dow Agrosciences
- 2009 - Dave Coppess, Heartland Ag Service
- 2008 - Tom Warner, Crop Production Services
- 2007 - John Hester, Nichols Agriservice
- 2006 - Pete Romano, Quincy Farm Chemical
- 2005 - Don Pottinger, AGCO Corporation
- 2004 - George Thornton, Agriliance & Neil Strong, Syngenta
- 2003 - Allen Summers, Asmark
- 2002 - Jim Thrift, BASF
- 2001 - Ray Train, Syngenta
