Wisconsin Ag Connection - Local Business Leaders Honored by Cooperative Network

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Local Business Leaders Honored by Cooperative Network
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 11/24/2014

Cooperative Network held its annual meeting in La Crosse last week, where four co-op business leaders from Wisconsin and Minnesota were honored with distinguished achievement awards.

Bill Berg, Dairyland Power Cooperative; Pete Giacomini, Cooperative Resources International; Jim Hager, Harmony Country Cooperatives; and Kim Sponem, Summit Credit Union were recognized for demonstrating the utmost loyalty and service to the cooperative movement at the local, state, regional, or national level.

"Having the largest concentration of cooperatives in the country, Minnesota and Wisconsin have a vast pool of worthy candidates each year for the Cooperative Builder Award," said Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of Cooperative Network. "This year's recipients come from the electric, farm supply, genetics, and credit union industries. They set new records in how young they were when they took the helm at their cooperatives, and also for longevity in their positions. All have demonstrated passionate commitment to building their communities and beyond through the cooperative business model.”

Berg has been president and CEO of Dairyland Power Cooperative since 1990 and with the cooperative since 1974. He has worked in the electric power industry for more than 40 years. Berg is the longest-serving CEO among generation and transmission cooperatives and will retire at the end of this year. He has served on national transportation, energy, and agriculture boards and has served locally on boards and committees with Viterbo University, the Chippewa and Flambeau Improvement Company, and Forward Wisconsin.

Giacomini began his career as a field representative with the American Jersey Association and was chief operating officer at AgSource for 27 years. He now does business development with CRI, which includes AgSource and Genex as subsidiaries. Giacomini was instrumental in forming CRI, the nation's first holding cooperative. He was also chairman of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives when it merged with the Minnesota Association of Cooperatives to become Cooperative Network in 2009.

Hager became the state's youngest cooperative general manager at the age of 22 when he took the reins at Midland Co-op Services in Cumberland. Forty years later, now head of Harmony Country Cooperatives, he stands as Wisconsin's longest-serving manager. Under Hager's management, Harmony has been one of the most profitable farm supply cooperatives in the state, consistently producing impressive patronage returns and holding an equally remarkable stock retirement plan.

Sponem became one of the youngest credit union CEOs in the country when she was named head of Summit Credit Union. She has since led the credit union through seven mergers and two name changes to become one of the largest and most respected financial institutions in Wisconsin. Kim has made financial literacy programs a top priority and has established Summit as a deeply committed, community-based cooperative under her leadership. This month, the credit union became one of about 30 in the country to distribute patronage refunds to its members.

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