2020
E.P. Garrett Manager of the Year Award
Wayne Gilliam BY JESSIE SHOOK
AFC President and CEO Rivers Myres calls Wayne Gilliam to the platform to receive the coveted E.P. Garrett Manager of the Year Award.
From the cotton field, to the battlefield, to the Coop and now the first four-time E.P. Garrett Manager of the Year award recipient, Wayne Gilliam overcame the challenges of 2020 to win the highest honor awarded by Alabama Farmers Cooperative. “I am fortunate to win this award,” Wayne said. “I was just the leader of the people who did all the work.” A few words AFC President and CEO Rivers Myres used to described Wayne included passionate, devoted, visionary and a mentor. This passion and devotion have kept his cooperative profitable for 48 consecutive years. While 2020 was a year full of obstacles, Tuscaloosa Farmers Cooperative remained successful through 36
Cooperative Farming News
adaption and innovation. The Co-op generated $2 million in net income in 2020 and paid out $1.1 million in patronage over the last five years. With a gross margin of 27% and net margin of 4%, this Co-op turned their inventory 6.19 times. “He is not afraid to reinvent his business and has done what it takes to survive and succeed,” Myres said. Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wayne’s passion and work ethic began on the farm and continued during his time in the military. “I went from the cotton field to the battlefield,” Wayne said. “I worked long hours in the cotton field and then joined the military and served in the Vietnam War.”
