Member and Industry News

Byrne Dairy’s Dewitt New York, plan was named as Dairy.com’s 2022 Plant of the Year for its work in aseptic production, sustainability, food safety and other accomplishments. Opened in 2004, the plant started as a 40,000-square-foot facility that has continued to expand to its current footprint of 200,000-square feet. It recently constructed a wastewater treatment facility. The plan employs over 200 people. The Dewitt plant is part of the larger fourth-generation Byrne Dairy company, which was founded in 1933.

Chobani announced two executive leadership appointments in October. Tarkan Gürkan was named chief financial officer, and Kenneth Bishop was appointed to the new role of senior vice president international market development. Both will join the company’s executive leadership team. “I am immensely proud of what we have built at Chobani and am pleased to have Tarkan and Ken as part of the team that will lead us into our next phase of growth,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani. Prior to joining Chobani, Gurkan was chief investment officer at Shepherd Futures, LLC. Based in Singapore. Bishop brings extensive consumer goods and private equity experience to the company and will help develop a strategy for Chobani’s expansion into international markets.

Ecolab Inc. announced that Darrell R. Brown, former executive vice president and president, Global Industrial, become president and chief operating officer in October. Brown served as executive vice president and president of the Global Industrial group since 2019. He joined Ecolab in 2002 and has held a variety of leadership positions within the company over the years.

To help the next generation develop the necessary business and financial skills, Farm Credit East is hosting GenerationNext seminars this fall and winter. Anyone who would like to sharpen their management skills is encouraged to attend. Both in-person and virtual sessions are offered. GenerationNext is optimal for those producers who will be the next generation operators of a farm business or for entrepreneurs starting their own business. The sessions will cover a range of topics, including leadership and management, human resource development, financial management, production economics, marketing, risk management, and farm transfer and estate planning. In late 2022, in-person sessions will be held in central and western New York and eastern Connecticut. Starting in early 2023, in-person sessions will be held in northern Vermont, central New Jersey and western and northern Maine. The virtual program consists of eight weekly two-hour sessions, starting January 12 and running every Thursday through March 2. For more information, session dates, or to sign up, visit FarmCreditEast. com/GenerationNext. It is not necessary to have an existing relationship with Farm Credit East to attend. Contact Chris Laughton at Chris.Laughton@farmcrediteast.com or call (800) 562-2235 for more information.

Hydrite Chemical held its first-ever Month of Giving in October to celebrate employee volunteerism. During the