Steve Prouty, McNeil Marketing Company, Albany, Oregon, has been nominated for election to the EMDA Board of Directors. The election will take place at the Association’s Corporate Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, October 28, 2015.
Prouty was selected by the Nominations Committee chaired by Ted Traeder, Vice President, Traeder Enterprises, Inc., HIllsboro, Wisconsin, and committee members John D. Fonda, President & CEO, John Day Company, Omaha, Nebraska, and Marcus Kimball, Vice President, Kimball Sales Company, Lake St. Louis, Missouri.
Steve Prouty is Owner and President of McNeil Marketing Company, Inc. an independent manufacturer’s rep company serving six Northwestern states since 1991. McNeil Marketing specializes in innovative agriculture and industrial equipment, providing our dealer network with a competitive edge with excellent profit potential while offering the best value to their customers.
Steve’s career in Agriculture began 1981 just after college with a Junior Accounting position with Lely Pacific, Inc. located in Tangent, Oregon. Lely Pacific was the West coast division for Lely Industries, a manufacturer, importer, and distributor of agriculture and turf equipment based in the Netherlands. Steve advanced to the position of Chief Comptroller and spent 22 years with Lely. Steve and Debbie purchased McNeil Marketing Company from Louie McNeil in 2003. Wanting to grow the business and expand their territory in 2012 they purchased NorthWest 94 Sales, Inc. Steve and Debbie have learned that the rep business can require long days and lots of road time but allows them to work and build relationships with some of the best people in the world. McNeil Marketing Company has been an AIMRA / EMDA member since 1991.
Steve and Debbie married in 1981 and raised three children: Sara, and twins, Christina and Kyle. In his spare time Steve enjoys barbequing for everyone, gardening with Debbie, golfing, and cruising and showing his restored VW Westfalia Bus.
EMDA Board members are elected for a three-year term, and are eligible to serve two terms. The EMDA Nominations Committee also proposed the re-election to the Board of Ron Chandler, Partner, Becknell Wholesale Co., Inc., Lubbock, Texas, to serve as 1st Vice President.
Current Board members serving terms through 2016 include: Kevin Wolters, Vice President, Southwest Distributing Co., Inc., Clinton, Oklahoma, who will serve as Treasurer; Jerry Nettles, Short Line Sales, Memphis, Tennessee, and who will serve as 2nd Vice President.
Board members serving terms through 2017 include: Wayne Barber, President, DFK Equipment Sales, Inc., St. Marys, Ontario Canada, who will serve as President and then Treasurer; and Jenni Edney, Vice President, Edney Distributing Co., Inc., Lakeville, Minnesota, who will serve as Secretary and then 2nd Vice President.
EMDA Treasurer, Ted Traeder, CPMR, Vice President, Traeder Enterprises, Inc., Hillsboro, Wisconsin, will have completed his term of service on the EMDA Board and will not be eligible for re-election.
The EMDA Bylaws were amended in fall, 2010, to add an Associate Delegate to the Board of Directors. Associate Delegates to the Board serve a two-year term. Dennis Kerber was elected in 2014 and will serve his final term as Associate Delegate in 2016.
Under the provisions of EMDA’s Bylaws, nominations for election to the Board are from the Nominations Committee or by any 10 or more member firms who prepare and file a written nomination signed by all nominators (and accompanied by the written consent of the nominee or nominees to serve if elected) with the EMDA Board of Directors or EMDA’s Executive Vice President at least 30 days prior to the Association’s Annual Meeting.
The EMDA Board of Directors meets during the Fall Convention and once during the Spring. The Board also participates in several conference calls over the course of the membership year. ###