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Retiring Gold Kist, Inc. CEO Gaylord Coan is |
Gold Kist Inc. has established the Gaylord Coan Leadership
Endowment with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences in honor of its retiring chief
executive
officer. It will support the college’s student ambassador
program.
“It is a tradition with Gold Kist to honor its retiring
CEO with an endowment to an institution of his choice,”
explained
John Bekkers, who will succeed Coan on July 6. “Gaylord is
a UGA CAES graduate and chose the CAES ambassadors program
because
it helps students gain leadership and presentation skills as they
support student and college programs throughout the year. We are
proud to be associated with these outstanding young
people.”
CAES Ambassadors, established in 1988, are a select group of
students dedicated to enhancing the image of the college. They
assist at college- and UGA-sponsored events and are available
to speak for civic groups, schools, clubs, assemblies, banquets
or other events on topics related to agriculture, the environment
or student opportunities.
The Gaylord Coan Leadership Endowment will secure the quality
of the CAES Ambassador program and be a catalyst for leadership
development activities such as team-building retreats, expanded
travel opportunities and a successful recruitment program.
“We look for students who have strong communication
skills
and who are energetic and enthusiastic and aren’t afraid to meet
people,” said Brice Nelson, CAES student recruitment
coordinator
and administrator of the ambassador program.
“The endowment will provide vital funding to strengthen
the ambassador program,” he said. “Because of these
funds, this years’ ambassadors will travel off-campus for a
weekend
leadership retreat at the beginning of the fall semester. The
retreat will focus on team building and will help prepare them
for upcoming projects.”
The endowment will also help students attend regional and
national
ambassador events.
Coan, CEO and chairman of the management executive committee
of Gold Kist, joined the company in 1959 when he graduated from
the University of Georgia with a degree in agricultural
economics.
He completed the company’s management training program,
managed
a farm supply store for two years and then was named director
of field services of the grain division in Atlanta.
Later, he was given responsibility for all grain, soybean and
peanut buying and processing operations and the company’s farm
stores in the Southeast.
In 1986, he directed the formation of Golden Peanut Company,
a joint venture partnership that combined the peanut operations
of Gold Kist, Archer Daniels Midland Company and Alimenta, Inc.,
a Swiss company, to form the world’s largest peanut handler. He
served as president and CEO until returning to Gold Kist in 1990
as executive vice president and member of the management
executive
committee.
He was named president and chief operating officer in 1991
and CEO in 1995.
He is a former vice chairman of the board of the Archer
Daniels
Midland Company, a director of SunTrust Banks of Georgia and the
Cotton States Insurance Companies, and a member of the
supervisory
board of Alfred C. Toepfer International of Hamburg, Germany.
Gold Kist is the second largest and only farmer-owned
cooperative
in the U. S. poultry industry. It was established in 1933 at
Carrollton,
Ga., and is headquartered in Atlanta. Gold Kist employs
approximately 18,000 people at poultry processing operations in
Georgia, North and South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. U.S. and
international sales exceed $1.7 billion annually.
