The St. Marys, Georgia-based National Protein and Food Distributors Association honored two industry leaders during its awards reception Jan. 26 at the Annual Protein Convention in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
Laurie Pate, president of Foodlinx in Brentwood, California, was awarded the NPFDA Member of the Year Award. Joe Monroe, general manager of Columbia Meats in West Columbia, South Carolina, was awarded the NPFDA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Pate is a member of the NPFDA and is a long-time volunteer for the NPFDA Scholarship Foundation’s annual silent auction. She has also served on the NPFDA Board of Directors since 2019. Pate got an early start in the protein industry working at a wholesale food distributor while still in high school. She collaborated with people from Guam, Saipan, the Marshall Islands, Tonga, the Cook Islands, American Samoa, Western Samoa and the Philippines.
Monroe was the corporate sales manager of Columbia Farms. He held several different industry positions, was elected to the NPFDA Board of Directors in 2001 and was named Member of the Year in 2005. He served as president of NPFDA in 2008-2009. In 2003, he was elected to the board of directors of the South Carolina Poultry Federation and served as chair in 2005 – 2006.
“Congratulations to Laurie Pate and Joe Monroe on their much-deserved recognition to the protein industry and the NPFDA organization,” said Jeff Paschall, NPFDA board chair.
The National Protein and Food Distributors Association is a non-profit trade association that has been in existence since 1967. It is comprised of poultry and food suppliers, retailers, processors, transportation companies and marketers with a membership of 280 industry firms from throughout the country. The association’s goal is to provide platforms for all members to get together and network, grow and learn from one another, and develop lasting business relationships. NPFDA’s mission is to provide a forum for food distributors, processors, and allied industries that fosters long term relationships through the exchange of ideas.
For more information, visit npfda.org.
