April 11, 2017
APEX Award recognizes three for outstanding contributions
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue University Department of Agricultural Economics awarded three individuals with the APEX Award at the 43rd annual James C. Snyder memorial lecture and celebration on April 7.
The award recognizes individuals who have a strong connection to the department for their outstanding contributions to their profession.
Recipients this year are Darren Carter, Karen Grabow and John Nidlinger.
Carter is a 1995 graduate of the Purdue College of Agriculture. He currently oversees all direct sales for CytoSport, a manufacturer of sports nutrition products. For the past four years, Carter has served as the Hormel Foods Corporation ambassador to Purdue and he has worked with the Center for Professional Selling, the National Agribusiness Marketing Association and the Ready, Set, Sell program.
Grabow is a consulting organizational psychologist with expertise in leadership and organizational effectiveness. In 2009, she initiated the Land O’Lakes Executive Agribusiness Program, a 12-month mini-MBA program at Purdue. Since 2015, Grabow has worked with the Center for Food and Agricultural Business to produce a people-focused national conference called People, Performance, Productivity. The success of that conference led to Grabow’s work with the center on a new professional development course, Managing Talent to Win.
Nidlinger is the sixth-generation owner of Nidlinger Farms Inc., producing corn, wheat, and soybeans in Adams and Allen Counties in Indiana and Van Wert County, Ohio. His passion for farm management grows with the use of innovative technology, exemplary execution, and extreme attention to details. Nidlinger was recognized with the Indiana Young Farmer Award by the Indiana Farm Bureau. In 2015, he and his wife, Nan, were named Indiana Master Farmers, the same year they hosted the Purdue Farm Management Tour. John served on the personal staff of Senator Richard G. Lugar as agricultural liaison from 1990 through 2000. He was appointed by President George W. Bush as the state executive director of the Indiana Farm Service Agency, serving from 2000 through 2006. He has served Purdue University as a member of the Deans Advisory Council and is an advisory member to the Center for Commercial Agriculture.
Writer: Cheri Frederick, 765-494-2406, cfrederick@purdue.edu
Source: Jessica Eise, 765-494-0974, jeise@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Shari Finnell, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, sfinnell@purdue.edu
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