ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has hired Jeff Coey as Assistant Regional Vice President to fill the vacant position in its Hong Kong office left by Matt Weimar, who recently relocated to the regional office in Singapore as the new Regional Vice President for South Asia. Coey will manage U.S. wheat market development programs and USW’s business and government relationships in China. This includes two offices and staff located in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Coey joins USW with more than 25 years of marketing and trade facilitation experience in East Asia including industry relations and government affairs consulting, as well as demand-building branded retail campaign management. He worked in cotton merchandising in Hong Kong and China and helped set up office operations in Beijing. Most recently, Coey lectured for the master’s degree program at the Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication covering subjects including consumer behavior, intercultural communication, writing for public relations, issues management and crisis response.

“Jeff’s experience in the private sector, commodity trading, market development and academia throughout the greater China region represent an important new asset for the U.S. wheat industry and our China interests,” said Weimar.

“China is a complex market of immense proportions and possibilities,” said USW Vice President of Overseas Operations Vince Peterson. “Jeff has the background and experience necessary to package USW’s efforts in China in a productive manner that allows us to capitalize on those market opportunities.”

Fluent in Mandarin, Coey studied Chinese language and literature at Middlebury College and National Taiwan University. He holds bachelor’s degrees in East Asian Studies and Chinese from the University of Kansas, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where his concentration was in international business and marketing.

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Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
U.S. Wheat Associates prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact U.S. Wheat Associates at 202-463-0999 (TDD/TTY – 800-877-8339, or from outside the U.S.- 605-331-4923). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Vice President of Finance, U.S. Wheat Associates, 3103 10th Street, North, Arlington, VA 22201, or call 202-463-0999. U.S. Wheat Associates is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) announces that Market Analyst Casey Chumrau will transfer to the organization’s Santiago, Chile, office as Marketing Manager for South America, and Planning and Programs Assistant Stephanie Bryant-Erdmann will move into the Market Analyst position. Each have started a transition to their new assignments, which will officially start in mid-September 2015.

“Casey is taking a newly created position in a region where wheat demand is growing in several markets,” said USW Vice President of Overseas Operations Vince Peterson. “We are happy we can provide this kind of opportunity to a talented young associate and at the same time expand our ability to serve customers in ways that increase demand for U.S. wheat.”

Latin America now represents about 40 percent of total U.S. wheat exports. Annual exports to South America the past five years averaged 3.3 million metric tons (MMT) and included five of the six U.S. wheat classes. That represents significant growth compared to the five-year annual average of 2.2 MMT per year as of marketing year 2011/12 (June to May).

Chumrau, who joined USW in 2011, will report to Regional Vice President Alvaro de la Fuente. A Montana native, Chumrau earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Montana and bachelor’s degrees in history and Spanish from the University of Oregon. She also studied abroad in Chile and Italy, spent a year working in Costa Rica and is fluent in Spanish.

Bryant-Erdmann was raised and worked on her family’s Nebraska cattle ranch and earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in agricultural education. Her master’s program thesis at Cornell University’s Institute for Public Affairs focused on the economic feasibility of exporting Kenyan cheese to the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, she was working as an intern at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Trade Information Center where she helped create educational materials for U.S. organizations looking to export products and services.

“Stephanie joined our organization a year ago and quickly demonstrated competence and an interest in new assignments like this,” said Vice President of Communications Steve Mercer. “Market analysis is a big part of our outreach to overseas wheat buyers and our industry stakeholders at home so that position is moving into our communications function.”

USW is the wheat industry’s export market development organization working to promote all six classes of U.S. wheat in more than 100 countries. Its activities are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 19 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

 

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Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
U.S. Wheat Associates prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact U.S. Wheat Associates at 202-463-0999 (TDD/TTY – 800-877-8339, or from outside the U.S.- 605-331-4923). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Vice President of Finance, U.S. Wheat Associates, 3103 10th Street, North, Arlington, VA 22201, or call 202-463-0999. U.S. Wheat Associates is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

ARLINGTON, Virginia — Rapidly changing international trade policies increasingly influence world wheat market opportunities. Recognizing the need for additional resources, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) announces that Dalton Henry will join the organization in March 2015 as Director of Policy. Henry is currently Director of Government Affairs for Kansas Wheat, the cooperative agreement between the Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.

“I am very pleased with the talented trade policy team working for U.S. wheat farmers to increase market access and monitor previous trade commitments,” said USW President Alan Tracy. “Dalton’s commitment to our industry and experience managing these and other issues for a major wheat producing state organization will add a lot of strength to that effort.”

“It is exciting to continue working on behalf of our country’s wheat farmers as part of the USW policy team,” Henry said. “They have a great track record of producing results and I look forward to helping move the trade policy agenda forward.”

Henry joined Kansas Wheat in 2010 and has been responsible for implementing policies for the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and managing the association’s membership function, including member retention, programming, meetings and communications. He has also been the association’s primary contact for Congressional offices, state agencies and agricultural organizations.

A May 2010 graduate of Kansas State University (K-State), Henry earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and journalism, emphasizing in agricultural economics. He grew up on and is still involved with a diversified crop and livestock operation near Randolph, KS. He was involved in 4-H and FFA, and was elected president of the Kansas FFA Association in 2006. Henry had a distinguished college career, serving on several student government committees and as Student Body President in 2009/10. He was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and served in the College of Agriculture Ambassadors and as a charter member of the Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter at K-State.

USW is the wheat industry’s export market development organization working to promote all six classes of U.S. wheat in more than 100 countries. Its activities are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 19 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

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Nondiscrimination and Alternate Means of Communications
U.S. Wheat Associates prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact U.S. Wheat Associates at 202-463-0999 (TDD/TTY – 800-877-8339, or from outside the U.S.- 605-331-4923). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Vice President of Finance, U.S. Wheat Associates, 3103 10th Street, North, Arlington, VA 22201, or call 202-463-0999. U.S. Wheat Associates is an equal opportunity provider and employer.