SSGA awards annual Alliance Honors

SSGA honored familiar faces with the fifth annual SSGA Alliance Honors at the SSGA annual meeting on March 11. The SSGA Executive Committee recognizes those who have made significant and sustaining contributions to the U.S. Identity Preserved industry in the past year. The Alliance Honors recognize stewardship, as well as advancements in transportation, IP and SSGA as an organization. 

SSGA Alliance Honor for Stewardship: Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council 

Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council – in particular, its promotion action team, but also its research action team – is recognized for its great leadership and significant financial stewardship that help ensure the success of SSGA’s activities, projects and programs and, in turn, establish our organization as a business alliance with a national and international impact. MSR&PC’s farmer leaders have supported SSGA since its foundation, recognizing our work to promote the state’s identity preserved and specialty soybean crop, including non-GMO and food-grade soybeans to export markets around the world. It supports the communication of agronomic and educational information about IP/specialty crops to farmers; studies and reports on transportation issues that will help intermodal movement of IP/specialty crops from the farm to the end user; and sponsors and participates in events that further SSGA’s vision to promote and enhance value throughout the supply chain, from farms to food businesses.  

Council Vice Chair and SSGA Director Gail Donkers accepted the award of MSR&PC. 

SSGA Alliance Honor for Advancing Transportation: Peter Hirthe 

Mr. Hirthe, director of the office of trade and economic development for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, is recognized for his and the agency’s work to promote and revitalize the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as a viable trade-lane option that serves the U.S. intermodal and international transportation system. Hirthe first approached SSGA about working with the Corporation in 2021, a conversation that led to the creation of the Transportation Go! conference, the first of which took place in Milwaukee in 2022. The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation continues to be a strong supporter of SSGA and its work to improve container shipping for specialty agriculture out of the northern states, sponsoring and participating in subsequent Transportation Go! events (including this week’s T-Go! in Minneapolis), SSGA fact-finding trips and meetings in Canada and Europe and our other transportation work, along with state commodity organizations in the Great Lakes region.  

SSGA Alliance Honor for Advancing IP: Hathairat Prachayaphiphat 

Ms. Hathairat is recognized for her distinguished career, retiring as head of procurement division for Thailand’s Green Spot Co., Ltd., after more than 20 years, during which she was responsible for core strategic and operational procurement functions and was engaged in developing the company’s overall supply network. During her time at Green Spot, she was a champion of U.S. Identity Preserved soybeans, establishing and maintaining strong relationships with U.S. suppliers of high-quality, specialty ingredients for the company’s own product line. Hathairat got to know her suppliers’ businesses, and they got to know hers in ways that allowed for close, consistent communication through the procurement process. Hathairat supported SSGA messaging, as well, presenting at the international launch of the U.S. Identity Preserved brand in Ho Chi Mihn City, Vietnam in 2022 and appearing at the first Identity Preserved International Summit in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2023. 

SSGA Alliance Honor for Advancing SSGA: Eric Wenberg 

Mr. Wenberg is recognized for his tireless work and great achievements in 5 ½ years as SSGA’s first executive director. Drawing on a distinguished and well-traveled career in government with USDA, Wenberg successfully led SSGA out of its infancy, navigating the organization through peaks and valleys before leaving it, upon his retirement, in a strong position as a rising national organization that serves its members, and the overall identity preserved and specialty soybean and grain industry. Under Wenberg’s leadership, SSGA built and launched the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brandmark, negotiated and administered a unique export certification program for high-quality specialty grains, communicated and educated on vital transportation issues that affect U.S. agricultural shippers, and much, much more!  

His unique blend of tenaciousness, creativity and kindness left an impression on board directors, members and staff alike. Thank you, Eric, for setting up SSGA for success going forward!