Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award
In 2010, the ARA Lifetime Achievement Award was renamed the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement award to honor the memory ARA’s former President & CEO who passed away in July 2009. This award is the highest honor presented by ARA for a career in agricultural retail.
Each year, the award is presented to a single honoree based on the following criteria:
- Individual whose talent has fundamentally advanced ag retail
- Individual who has made steadfast contributions to the association
- Individual whose accomplishments have been acknowledged by professional colleagues and his or her local community
- Individual whose work has stood the test of time
Nominations Open!
Nominate candidates by completing the form before the deadline. This service award will be presented at our annual conference this year. Applications close Friday, June 27.
2024 Honoree
ARA honored Ernie Chappell with the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of leadership in ag retail. Chappell received ARA’s highest individual honor during ARA’s Conference & Expo general session attended by more than 600 agricultural professionals.
Past Recipients
- 2023 - Joe Hodges, The Andersons/Douglas Fertilizer (news release)
- 2022 - Tim McArdle, retired COO at BRANDT (news release)
- 2021 - Alex McGregor, The McGregor Company (news release)
- 2020 - Johnny Council, Grow West (news release) Watch Video
- 2019 - Ron Farrell, Farrell Growth Group (news release)
- 2018 - Larry Yargus, Yargus Manufacturing
- 2017 - William "Tip" O'Neill, International Raw Materials
- 2016 - Dave Downey, Purdue University
- 2015 - Richard Gearheard, Agrium Retail
- 2014 - Jon Nienas, Monsanto
- 2013 - Ford B. West, TFI
- 2012 - Jim Thrift, Agricultural Retailers Association
- 2011 - Al McQuinn, retired from Ag-Chem Equipment Company
- 2010 - Bill Griffith, retired from American Cyanamid
- 2009 - Jack Eberspacher, Past ARA President & CEO
- 2008 - Ron & Eldon Stutsman, Neil Strong, Syngenta
- 2007 - Glen Brandt, Brandt Consolidated
- 2006 - Spencer Douglas, Douglas Fertilizer
- 2005 - DeWalt J Willard, Willard Agri-Service
- 2004 - Wendell Stratton, Stratton Seeds
- 2003 - Lloyd Burling, Il Assoc.
- 2002 - Lowell Downey, ADM
- 2001 - John Boyd, Morral Co.
