With more than 15 years experience in agribusiness recruiting and employment services, Eric Spell has the proven skills to serve as president of AgCareers. Eric was most recently president/CEO of Jobhog.net, a confidential resume hosting and job posting on-line career site he founded in 2001 for agriculture, food, biotechnology, natural resources and life sciences sectors. Jobhog and AgCareers combined efforts in January 2004.
Eric has a B.A. degree in business management from North Carolina State University with a concentration in labor/personnel. While employed with Murphy Farms Inc., as director of recruiting and training, Eric led efforts resulting in over 800 professionals being placed throughout the Midwest and Southeast. After working eight years at Murphy Farms, he founded Potential Solutions Inc., a company providing human resources and training services to the agribusiness sector. His recruiting strategies implemented with flagship agribusiness employers led to his vision for Jobhog.
Eric's passion, knowledge and commitment to e-recruiting and online career resources, make him the ideal leader of agriculture's largest online source for jobs and employment services.
Elaine Froese heads a communications coaching firm called "Seeds of Encouragement". –which is also the name of her monthly column.
Elaine’s a high-energy encourager who helps people look at their muck or ruts and get unstuck. She has worked with families in business for over 20 years and is now coaching the next generation. As a farmer she relates well to ag. clients wanting to move on with their succession planning.
Elaine consults coaches and speaks about being intentional about the change people want to make happen in their lives, families and business.
Elaine is a professional certified coach from the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara. She holds a Conflict Resolution Certificate from Mediation Services, mediating for the Farm Debt Mediation Service. Her degree as a PHEc., is from the University of Manitoba.
Elaine believes that change is an opportunity, not a threat…she has practical tools to help people discuss the undiscussabull to make their dreams come true.
She has authored the book "Planting the Seed of Hope…a celebration of prairie life" Visit www.elainefroese.com
With offices in Calgary, Fargo, Guelph and Kansas City, AdFarm is one of North America’s largest agricultural marketing communications agencies. AdFarm has an impressive list of agribusiness leaders as clients, and in its relatively short history has been recognized with numerous business, marketing and communications awards. Art Froehlich’s roots in the world of agriculture reach back to his childhood on the family farm in east central Saskatchewan.
As a partner in AdFarm, Art works with a wide variety of industry stakeholders in both public and private sectors. He also shares his expertise in private and public sector boardrooms that focus on finance, processing, education, insurance and research.
Along with his business and professional commitments, Art is still active on the family farm raising registered Red Angus cattle and producing wheat, malting barley and milling oats. In addition, he volunteers his time to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and serves as a mentor to young entrepreneurs through the Business Development Bank of Canada.
Art’s AdFarm accounts include Alberta Agriculture Food & Rural Development, Bayer Crop Sciences, Dow Agro Sciences, Royal Bank of Canada, UFA, and Novartis Animal Health. Art consults and advises many organizations in the area of international marketing and corporate governance.
Accomplishments: With an undergraduate degree from the
University of Saskatchewan and an Executive MBA from the University of
Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Art has spent the last 25 years
working in primary food production, agri-business and agrimarketing in
Canada, United States, Europe, South America and Asia. Prior to joining
AdFarm, Art has served as the President of Westcan Malting, General
Manager of Operations for Alberta Pool and the Director of Sales and
Marketing at Hoechst Canada.
Stella Cosby | Director Resourcing & Organization Development, Agrium Inc.
Stella Cosby has extensive experience providing business leadership in large-scale organizational change and redesign, leadership development and succession planning, culture transformation, performance management, organization metrics implementation, strategic planning, leadership development, and strategic human resource management.
Over a span of 20 years of international business experience - on both the consulting and client side of the business - Stella has held senior positions at Agrium, Manulife Financial, Canadian Pacific Railway and NOVA Corporation.
In her current role as Director Resourcing and Organization Development with Agrium Inc. she provides strategic leadership in large-scale organizational change, leadership and succession management, performance management and talent sourcing.
Stella holds a Master of Arts in Whole Systems Design and Organization Systems Renewal from Antioch University, a Diploma of Competency in Systems Renewal Consultation from the International Institute for the Study of Systems Renewal, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario.
Stella's community service includes serving on the boards of the Strategic Leadership Forum, the Banff WordFest and as a nominating Committee member of the YWCA board.
Carole Gumprich | President, C. B. Gumprich Ltd.
With more than 20 years experience in organizational development and training, Carole helps individuals and businesses accomplish their goals. In her business, C. B. Gumprich Ltd., Carole specializes in helping agricultural businesses integrate production, people, and processes to produce profit. She works with producers to analyze their needs and implement solutions to meet their production goals.
Carole has a Master of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology (Organizational Development) and extensive experience in performance management, training, human resources, coaching, and team building. Carole began her consulting business in 1988 and moved to the London area in 1998. She accepted a four-year contract with Ford Motor Company, St. Thomas Assembly Plant as an organizational development consultant. Subsequently, Carole accepted a contract as Manager of Organizational Development with a large pork production company. Currently, C. B. Gumprich Ltd. provides recruitment, organization management, human resources, and training services for a number of pork producers and agri-businesses in Southwestern Ontario.
