The Meat Industry Hall of Fame is proud to announce the Members of the Class of 2016. The Class was selected from a distinguished list of nominees and a record number of votes were cast by current members of the Hall of Fame and the organization's Board of Trustees.

Members of the Class of 2016 are Clayton Yeutter, United States Secretary of Agriculture (1989 to 1991) and Counselor to the President (1992); Chuck Hendryx, Vice President, Meat, H -E -B Grocery Company; Dr. Joe Sebranek, Professor, Iowa State University; Sam Stein, Founder andChairman, Chef's Pantry and Sam Stein Associates; Dr. Joe Cordray, Professor and Extension Meat Specialist, Iowa State University; Sam Kane, Founder, Sam Kane Beef Processors, and C. Larry Pope, President and Chief Executive Officer, Smithfield Foods. The 2016 Induction Ceremony will take place on January 31, 2017 during the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta, GA.

To be qualified for nomination to the Hall of Fame, candidates must have contributed significant innovation, achieved notable business success or otherwise positively impacted their organization, institution or larger industry segment. In addition, those nominees chosen for induction must have undertaken noteworthy community service or philanthropy during their careers and upon retirement.

Among the Meat Industry Hall of Fame Members inducted since the organization's founding in 2008 are such well-known names as Dave Thomas, Frank Perdue, Ray Kroc, Don Tyson and Jimmy Dean, along with such industry leaders as Dick Knowlton, Temple Grandin, Gary Smith, Barry Carpenter and Ken Monfort. To date, a total of 77 Members have been inducted.

"As usual, the final tally was extremely close with more than a dozen well-qualified people within just a few votes of becoming one of the members of the Class of 2016," said Chuck Jolley, Meat Industry Hall of Fame President and Principal of Jolley & Associates, Kansas City.

Rosemary Mucklow, Meat Industry Hall of Fame Senior Board or Trustees and Director Emeritus of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), expressed her delight at the quality of the Class of 2016. "It represents an excellent cross-section of our great industry," she said, "and I was delighted that we chose to honor my friend Larry Pope as he retires from an exemplary career with Smithfield Foods."

Steve Krut, Senior Board member and retired Executive Director of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), was enthusiastic about the incoming Class of 2016. "Year-after-year, the Hall of Fame continues to induct an extremely well-qualified group of men and women who have contributed a great deal to the success of our industry."

Agreeing with Mucklow and Krut, Senior Board member and retired Executive Director of the North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) Deven Scott, said, "The incoming Class of 2016 represents the pinnacle, the best-of-the-best, of the meat and poultry industry. That we've kept to our extremely high standards as we've inducted 77 members speaks to the quality of leadership our industry has enjoyed."

Tickets to attend this very important and prestigious event will be available July 1. They are priced at $250 for an individual seating. A specially reserved table of eight which will be recognized from the speaker's podium is $2000. Seating will be limited. Contact the Meat Industry Hall of Fame now for advance reservations.

Source: Meat Industry Hall of Fame