ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS), Wayne, Ill.
The board elected 2017 slate of officers, including Michael Barth, vice president of transportation and logistics, United Sugars, as president; Harry Zander, senior vice president, ECN Capital Rail Finance, as first vice president; and Tom Surma, manager of transportation services, CF Industries, as second vice president. Newly elected to the Executive Committee are Steve Blinn, senior commercial development manager for Norfolk Southern Corp.; Rob Cook, rail operations manager for Bunge North America; Scott Lurkins, senior director of business development, Anacostia Rail Holdings; and Steve Kirk, national sales for Oakley Transport.
Canada Beef, Canada Mathieu Paré was named the new director of the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence (CBCE), effective immediately, taking over for Marty Carpenter, who will formally retire March 1. Trained in Western Canada's most demanding kitchens (La Chaumiere, Rouge, Quail's Gate Estate Winery, CP Rail's The Royal Canadian Pacific), Paré will lead a team to engage clients across Canada and around the world to build understanding of the Canadian beef brand and drive demand. Carpenter has worked in Canada's beef industry for over 23 years as one of the nation's premier Canadian beef ambassadors. He was instrumental in leading the development and operation of the CBCE.