2019 Nov-Dec RETA Breeze

2019-20 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN Arlie Farley, CARO, CIRO Farley’s S.R.P., Inc. PRESIDENT Vern Sanderson, CIRO, CRST, RAI Wagner-Meinert, LLC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Eric Teale, CARO, CRST Danfoss Industrial Refrigeration TREASURER Keith Harper, CARO Tyson Foods SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Pete Lepschat, CIRO, CRES, CRST Henningsen Cold Storage, Co. DIRECTORS Bengie Branham, CIRO Perdue Farms William Ellena Coastal Pacific Food Distributors, Inc David Gulcynski, CIRO Dot Foods Inc. Michael Hawkins Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC Matt Hayes, CARO TJW Industrial Edward Johnson, CARO Schwans Global Supply Chain, Inc. Frank Kologinczak III Kolo Compression Jim Kovarik Gamma Graphics Bill Lape, CARO, CIRO, CRST SCS Engineers Jordan Reece, RAI Ricky Jimenez, CIRO Mericle Mechanical Inc COMMITTEE CHAIRS Gene Dumas, CARO, CIRO, CRST, RAI Nominations SCS Tracer Environmental Dave Gulcynski, CIRO , Education Dot Foods, Inc. Jim Kovarik, National Conference Gamma Graphics Lanier Technical College Raymond Urban, CARO Lineage Logistics

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

My first Presidents report . I want to sincerely thank the membership for their confidence in me. I will endeavor to do my best to prove your confidence in me is well founded. This month we are printing the acceptance speech from conference. It has been shortened. My “ahs” have been removed and a few stories were removed for the sake of space, and the grammar has been cleaned up. But here is the acceptance speech from October 10th, 2019. expected, ever, to be up here on this stage. I was surprised when I got the call to join the National Board. I told Dave Murphy no, he needed somebody better than me. When I got the second call, I thought “well they keep calling, maybe I should try it.” So I accepted the nomination. It has been an incredible journey. There are a few people I would like to thank. First of all, I would like to thank God. I would like to thank my wife Tonya, my daughter Sarah, and my RETA family. WMI and all of you that have spent so much time with me, thank you so much. I would like to thank some of the old Arlie, thank you very much. ... this is a very humbling experience. I never

timers such as Leroy Mosby. I would tell Leroy Mosby all the things I didn’t like and Leroy would say, “well then do something about it.” So, he started calling Jim Marella and finally I got to meet with Jim and “do something about it.” So thank you to all the old guys. Larry Kellys and TimWagner who hired a 19 year old child who didn’t have enough common sense to comb his hair before his interview. Thank you Tim. Thank you Tex Hildebrand who saw something, I will never know what it was. He spent a lot of years, the last years of his life, trying to teach me the art of refrigeration. I know this would be a very proud moment for Tex. He deserves this much more than I do. Thanks Tex. RETA is history. An old history. A

Michael Hawkins, Membership Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC Matt Hayes, CARO, Publications Wagner-Meinert, LLC Lee Pyle, CARO, Certification SCS Tracer Environmental Jim Barron, Executive Director

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