March 13/Rosemont, Ill./Press Release -- The American Egg Board (AEB) elected the 2014 executive committee at its March 13 board meeting. Paul Sauder of R.W. Sauder Inc. based in Lititz, Pa., was chosen as the newly elected chairman. 

"Every decision, every action, we take as a board should be made through the lens of whether the effort will  help drive egg consumption during my term as chairman," says Sauder, who has served on the board during varying years since 1990 with more than 20 years of total service. "Deffner and his predecessor Chris Pierce left big shoes to fill, and I charge this group of board members and alternates with the task of earning the confidence of every egg farmer in America. We'll be looking at all AEB's expenditures and programs to make sure our return-on-investment continues to increase while driving egg consumption."
 
Others elected to the executive committee included:
 
-Blair Van Zetten, vice chairman, Oskaloosa Food Products, Oskaloosa, Iowa
-Scott Ramsdell, secretary, Dakota Layers LLP, Flandreau, S.D.
-Clint Hickman, treasurer, Hickman's Egg Ranch, Buckeye, Ariz.
-Andrew Reichman, Parker & Reichman Inc., Andrews, N.C.
-Tom Hertzfeld II, Hertzfeld Poultry Farms Inc., Grand Rapids, Ohio
 
This meeting also was the first for Richard A. Patmos, Sunrise Acres Inc., Hudsonville, Mich., as a member representing the East North Central states and Tim E. Floyd, L&R Farms Inc, Hartwell, Ga., as an alternate representing the South Atlantic states.
 
Larry Thomason of Larry Thomason Egg Farm Inc., Calhoun, Ga., and Greg Herbruck, Herbruck Poultry Ranch, Saranac, Mich., rotated off AEB's board and were thanked for their service to the industry.
 
Immediate Past Chairman Roger Deffner, National Food Corp., Everett, Wash., expressed his appreciation to the Board for the opportunity to serve as their Chairman for the past year. He also thanked AEB's Committee Chairs for their leadership throughout the year and to all those who have shared input and feedback on AEB's programs.
 
"Stay focused, and don't lose sight of the big picture and its supporting details," says Deffner. "The details are where success is often found. If all our efforts answer the questions 'Are we wisely spending our investment? Will this result in more egg sales?' and answers are yes, then we'll exceed our mission to drive sales of eggs and egg products."
 
To round out AEB's leadership, new committee chairs and committee members will be selected by AEB's July board meeting that will take place July 9-10 in Rosemont, Ill.