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Receives 2008 NCI Laureate Award (La Quinta, Calif. — January 22, 2008) The National Cheese Institute (NCI) yesterday bestowed its highest honor, the NCI Laureate Award, on Larry Ferguson, chairman of Schreiber Foods, Inc. in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The award was presented to Ferguson during a luncheon ceremony at the International Dairy Foods Association's (IDFA) 2008 Dairy Forum by NCI Chairman Mike Reidy, who is senior vice president of procurement, logistics and business development at Leprino Foods. The NCI Laureate Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and growth of the U.S. cheese industry. A panel of industry professionals chooses a winner each year based on a person's long-term contributions to the industry. "Larry has spent his entire career making continuous improvements to the cheese industry," said Reidy. "From his early days with the company, he has focused on ways to extend Schreiber's reputation as a high-quality provider of cheese products to the retail and foodservice markets." Raised on the family's dairy farm in Oklahoma, Larry graduated from Oklahoma State University with a B.S. degree in Dairy Science, and joined Schreiber in 1975 as a production supervisor at its Logan, Utah, plant. Not surprisingly, Larry quickly distinguished himself as an effective leader and was named plant manager in 1986. Four years later, he moved his family to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and became an officer of the company that same year. He was named a vice president in 1991, a senior vice president and member of the board of directors in 1995, and president and CEO in 1999. "During his tenure as CEO, Larry drove unprecedented growth by expanding product lines beyond Schreiber's historical offerings of process and natural cheeses," said Reidy. "From cream cheese to natural cheese to high-end specialty cheese and even yogurt, Schreiber became an innovative global leader in dairy products." At the same time, Ferguson recognized another opportunity for corporate growth and significantly expanded the company's domestic production and distribution network. This network now gives Schreiber one-day delivery coverage virtually anywhere in the continental United States. Over the past 10 years, Schreiber has grown at a rate of close to one new manufacturing facility per year. In fact, he continues to visit virtually every one of the company's production facilities at least once each year. Just last October, Ferguson was named Schreiber's chairman of the board. "Through all his years of service, Ferguson's passion for Schreiber Foods, its products, its employees and certainly its customers has never wavered," Reidy said. In addition to his strong corporate leadership, Ferguson has been an influential member in the dairy industry and his community. He has served as a member of the NCI board of directors as well as the NCI and IDFA executive committees. On the civic front, he serves on the Wisconsin Governor's Economic Growth Council, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Chancellor's Board of Trustees, the YMCA Capital Campaign Cabinet and several other local advisory boards. "Thanks to Larry's vision and commitment, Schreiber has grown to become a $3 billion-plus global enterprise with more than 5,000 employees," Reidy said. "Larry once said, 'As Schreiber has grown, our customers have trusted us like they would the handshake of a best friend.' Clearly his NCI colleagues feel the same way about Larry, and we're fortunate to have his leadership and integrity applied to the dairy industry." As this year's honoree, Ferguson joins two other Schreiber executives who have received the NCI Laureate award. Vince Zehren, one of Schreiber's inaugural shareholders, received the first NCI Laureate award in 1989. Co-founder Dave Nusbaum also received the award. Other cheese industry pioneers who have won the NCI Laureate Award include Mark Davis, Wes Allen, Elmer Marth, Max Gonzenbach, Rudy Nef, Don Menzner, Betsy Holden, Don Storhoff, Lester Kielsmeier, Hans Epprecht, Norm Olson, Jack Budahn, Leonard Gentine Sr., Raymond Goldbach, Harold Steinke and John H. Nelson. NCI will call for nominations for the 2009 NCI Laureate Award this fall.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, DC, represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 530 companies representing a $90-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org
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