Brand Update 2020

BRAND UPDATE 2020
Managing Editor: Nicole Erceg
Senior Editor: Steve Suther
Art Director: David Barry
Designer: Tina Melicant
Circulation Manager: Beth Barner
Contributing Writers: Kylee Kohls, Crystal Meier,
Courtney Middleton, Bryan Schaaf
President: John F. Stika, Ph.D.
Senior Executive Vice Presidents: Brent Eichar,
Tracey Erickson
Executive Vice Presidents: Bruce Cobb,
Steve Ringle
2020-21 Board of Directors:
Jonathan Perry, Chairman, Fayetteville, Tennessee
Chuck Grove*, Forest, Virginia
Dave Hinman, Malta, Montana
Mike McCravy, Bowden, Georgia
Barry Pollard*, Enid, Oklahoma
Mick Varilek*, Geddes, South Dakota
Dwight “Kip” Palmer, Rochester, New York
Mark McCully, Vice Chairman,
CEO American Angus Association ® ,
St. Joseph, Missouri
John Stika, President, Certified Angus
Beef LLC, Wooster, Ohio
Brent Eichar, Secretary Treasurer, Certified Angus
Beef LLC, Wooster, Ohio
* New board member
Board Members through
November 2020:
John Grimes, Chairman, Hillsboro, Ohio
James W. Henderson, Childress, Texas
Published by:
American Angus Association ®
c/o Certified Angus Beef LLC
206 Riffel Road
Wooster, OH 44691-8588 USA
Phone: 330-345-2333
Fax: 330-345-0808
CertifiedAngusBeef.com
The Certified Angus Beef ® brand name
and marks are service/trademarks of
Certified Angus Beef LLC.
© 2020 Volume 24, Issue 1,
published annually. All rights reserved.
The Certified Angus Beef ® brand is the original Angus brand,
founded in 1978 by Angus cattlemen. Our mission has
remained the same since day one: To increase demand
for registered Angus cattle through a specification-based
branded beef program to identify consistent, high quality
beef with superior taste.
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
It might come as a surprise that I write this year’s letter
filled with optimism. There’s no ignoring the challenges
presented by the global pandemic, but this year is filled
with opportunity too.
The steer in our logo faces forward for a reason. It’s
a subtle reminder of our goal to build a better beef
community for everyone from gate to plate, like the
vision of the ranchers who started this brand. Our vision
is focused on changing and evolving to continue to excel
in the future.
We’re building on a truly remarkable history. Looking back,
this brand has grown through a number of challenges
including the BSE outbreak that crashed cattle markets and
the 2008 economic recession. In fact, we were born inside a
marketplace that thought lean beef was best. Overcoming
challenge is part of our DNA. I’m confident that the
learnings from this year give us better insights to build an
even stronger, more innovative brand to serve you better.
Every day I chat with people who have a stake in our
success including; beef business leaders, retailers,
packers, foodservice professionals, team members,
community leaders and Angus ranchers. These
conversations are the best part of my days. The
feedback I hear is one way to affirm that we’ve made
a lot of progress in growing the brand. This year, the
conversations have had a different tone, one filled with
tenacity, some pain, but an overwhelming commitment
to get the job done no matter what was thrown our way.
Consumers continue to demand high-quality beef and their
expectations for how that’s delivered are expanding. We
have more work to do and are making changes to support
the recovery of foodservice, serve a consumer that’s become
more reliant on retail and create deeper connections with
each person in our value chain around the world. We are
focused on operational excellence, driving that momentum
through every corner of our business.
We also continue to focus on our culture. It’s how
we put our vision and values — the bedrock of our
company, into practice. And that’s how we will achieve
our goals. In order for Certified Angus Beef LLC to fulfill
our vision of helping our customers succeed, it takes
each team member living our values every day.
It’s the people across this community who make me
excited for what’s ahead. What we saw across our
licensee base this year was nothing short of incredible. It
was people, helping people. I’m humbled and grateful to
call you partners.
This brand remains strongly positioned to support your
success, ready to assist in new ways and we look forward
to serving you in the year ahead.
President John F. Stika, Ph.D.
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