The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) continued success depends in part on recruiting new, enthusiastic staff members like Egna Rodriguez and Alvaro Cordero. Both are marking five years of service this winter, Rodriguez as administrative assistant in Panama and Cordero as a manager of global trade.
They will be honored on Feb. 11 at the Council’s 12th International Marketing Conference and 55th Annual Membership Meeting in Heredia, Costa Rica, along with other USGC staff members celebrating notable anniversaries.
“The real excitement of Council work is that what we do makes a difference in the marketplace,” Cordero said, citing the recent success building sorghum sales to China.
“It’s one of our top stories of 2014,” he said. “It began when we did a market assessment in 2011 and targeted China.
“Now we’re selling about 5 million metric tons a year (197 million bushels). That’s a big number and it’s all thanks to both the United Sorghum Checkoff Program and the Council,” he says.
Rodriguez’ contributions are less obvious than sales numbers but no less essential, USGC Director of Global Strategies Kurt Shultz explained.
“I hired Egna when we opened the Panama office,” said Shultz, who previously was the Council’s regional director of the Americas. “It was a very challenging time, and what she brought was patience and fortitude as we worked to get the office established, hire staff, deal with regulatory registrations and get programs going.
“She’s a very calm person, very dependable. She kept the office on track and running smoothly. Knowing she was managing the office gave me the ability to go out and start establishing programs,” he said.
Marri Carrow, USGC’s current director of the Western Hemisphere, also applauded both Cordero and Rodriquez on their milestones.
“I’m happy to congratulate both Alvaro and Egna on this great milestone,” Carrow said. “Both of them are valuable members of the Council’s Western Hemisphere team and serve the Council and its members well.
“I look forward to celebrating their achievements with them at our upcoming USGC meeting!”
Click here for more information about the Council’s upcoming winter annual meeting.