Furth, Kanack, and Kavanaugh
Honored by Cooperatives
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Cooperative Network bestowed its Cooperative Builder Award on three cooperators at its annual meeting last week in Bloomington, Minn. Mark Furth, Dan Kanack, and Tim Kavanaugh received the award in the 34th year of its presentation. Pictured left to right: Bill Oemichen, Cooperative Network president and CEO; Tim Kavanaugh, Federated Co-ops, Inc., Princeton, Minn.; Dan Kanack, Oconto Electric Cooperative, Lena, Wis.; Mark Furth, AMPI, New Ulm, Minn.; and Sam Skemp, Cooperative Network board chairman. |
MADISON, Wis. (November 24, 2009) Cooperative Network bestowed its Cooperative Builder Award, the organization’s highest honor, on three cooperators at its annual meeting last week in Bloomington, Minn. Mark Furth, Dan Kanack, and Tim Kavanaugh received the award in the 34th year of its presentation.
Mark Furth of New Ulm, Minn. served as president and CEO of Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) and its North Central Region from 1990 to 2008. Shortly after graduating from Mankato State University in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Mark joined AMPI as an accountant. He also held marketing and membership positions in the cooperative before becoming assistant manager in 1985. In his 38 years there, he guided the cooperative through times of crisis and opportunity, including the reorganization of AMPI. He developed strategies to grow the cooperative’s membership and increase sales of consumer-packaged dairy products.
“Mark Furth has been an instrumental figure in the Midwest dairy industry—a true champion for the cooperative form of doing business,” said Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of Cooperative Network. “Mark’s entire career has been focused on building AMPI into the vibrant cooperative it is today.”
Also honored with the Cooperative Builder Award was Dan Kanack, of Lena, Wis. Kanack has been a board member of Oconto Electric for 34 years. First elected by a one-vote margin in 1975, Kanack served as board secretary from 1976-1980 and in two stints as president, from 1987-89 and from 1995-2008. He also served on the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA) board from 1979 through 1996 and held the positions of secretary, vice president and president. Kanack represented Wisconsin as a director of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association from 1983 through 1991. He has been one of a dozen delegates on that organization’s Safety Accreditation Committee and has been a member of the National Utility Training and Safety Education Association since 1993.
“Dan Kanack’s service to electric cooperatives has been impressive," said Cooperative Network’s Oemichen. “Most notable are his contributions to keeping electric cooperative utility workers safe.”
Also honored was Tim Kavanaugh of Elk River, Minn., for his long career in the agricultural cooperative field. In 1973, Tim completed the Midland Cooperatives General Manager Training Program and has been the general manager of various local cooperatives since. Cooperatives he managed include Blanchardville Cooperative Oils, Blanchardville, Wis.; Ottertail Co-op Oils, Fergus Falls, Minn.; Farmers Cooperative, Hayfield, Minn.; and his present cooperative of Federated Co-ops Inc., Princeton, Minn. He was a key part of consolidating 16 local cooperatives over a number of mergers, playing an instrumental role not only in building member support but in maneuvering through various legal, financial, and logistical requirements of the cooperative merger process. Tim’s cooperative, a forerunner of Federated Co-ops, Inc. and Central Rivers Cooperative has more than 225 employees and sales of 144 million dollars.
“Tim Kavanaugh personifies the balance between a solid business manager and concern for his cooperative’s members that makes him truly deserving of this award,” said Oemichen. |
