Aviagen Director of Global Marketing & Corporate Communications Marla Robinson accepts 70-year exhibitor award from USPOULTRY Chairman Mikell Fries.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The International Production and Processing Exhibition (IPPE) 2024 represented a special occasion for global poultry breeding company Aviagen®, which celebrated 70 years of participation in the show this year. Held Jan. 30-Feb. 1, IPPE 2024 was characterized by customer collaboration, knowledge exchange among industry experts, and the recognition of outstanding young talent.
Celebrating 70 years at IPPE
Aviagen proudly celebrated seven decades of engagement with IPPE audiences. As the world's largest annual poultry, feed and meat technology exposition, IPPE continues to be a regular event on the Aviagen calendar, presenting valuable opportunities to connect with poultry producers and members of the value chain from across the globe. Aviagen received recognition for this noteworthy milestone at a reception hosted by show organizer U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY). Director of Global Marketing and Corporate Communications Marla Robinson accepted the award from USPOULTRY Chairman of the Board of Directors Mikell Fries on behalf of Aviagen.
Aviagen’s 2024 Young Leaders Under 30 from left: Rachel Breeding, Elizabeth Mixon, Brenley Bostic and Tyler Wilson.
Recognizing Young Leaders Under 30
Aviagen is thrilled to announce that four of its talented employees received the prestigious IPPE “Young Leaders Under 30” award:
- Rachel Breeding, Quality Assurance Manager, Aviagen
- Elizabeth Mixon, Lead Auditor, Aviagen
- Tyler Wilson, Poultry Vaccination Manager, Aviagen
- Brenley Bostic, Logistics and Planning Manager, Aviagen Turkeys
These promising young leaders, aged 21 to 29, were selected based on their exceptional leadership abilities and demonstrated commitment to the industry. They were honored at a special breakfast event during IPPE, where they were presented with distinctive “Young leaders” plaques.
Aviagen North America President Marc de Beer emphasized the importance of nurturing the industry’s next generation, commenting, “The sustainability of our industry depends on their ingenuity and innovative spirit. Aviagen and USPOULTRY share a commitment to encouraging bright young talent with a passion for poultry and feeding the world. We're immensely proud of our four exceptional leaders who were honored at IPPE and wish them a fulfilling career of making outstanding contributions to our industry and our world.”
Connecting with the future
Aviagen, committed to fostering connections with the next generation, organized a student breakfast that drew over 100 students from various universities. Furthermore, at the student career section of IPPE, Human Resources representatives were on hand to interact with students and conduct interviews for potential careers at Aviagen. Both initiatives attracted a high turnout of students enthusiastic about contributing to a sustainable, healthy source of protein to feed the world.
Sharing expertise: An IPPE hallmark
IPPE provides numerous opportunities to connect with global peers, contributing to the sustainability of the industry through collaboration, connection and the exchange of invaluable knowledge.
IPPE TechTalk represented one such opportunity, and Aviagen’s Global Head of Technical Systems was there to underscore the importance of data capture and analysis to continuous improvement in bird welfare and sustainability during his presentation on “From raw data to rich insights: Mastering data management in poultry.”
Similarly, at the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) meeting, Anne-Marie Neeteson, Global Senior Advisor for Welfare, Sustainability & Compliance, shared insights on how the industry can contribute to environmental sustainability in her talk on “You can’t change what you don’t measure: company-specific look at Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and target areas for change.”
Aviagen CEO Jan Henriksen expressed satisfaction with the level of engagement at this year's IPPE, saying, “Our show theme and corporate philosophy of 'breeding success together' was put into practice at IPPE. We were pleased to connect with our esteemed customers and industry stakeholders, sharing ideas and best practices. This level of collaboration is foundational to the success of the industry in providing a safe, secure, and nutritious source of affordable protein to communities worldwide, while continually enhancing animal welfare.”