News

DeVelder and Meshke to lead AMPI

The Board of Directors of Associated Milk Producers Incorporated (AMPI) has decided to make the “acting” co-presidents permanent. Long-time senior executive vice-presidents Donn DeVelder and Sheryl Meshke were named acting co-presidents and CEOs in December when Ed Welsh resigned.

DeVelder has been with the co-op 30 years and Meshke 25. Board chair Steve Schlangen says the individual skills and knowledge the two have of the company’s operations are complementary.  “This gives us a much broader set of experience and ideas with which to chart AMPI’s strategies for success.”

AMPI is headquartered in New Ulm, Minn., and owned by 2,600 Midwest dairy farm families from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. AMPI members annually market about 5.8 billion pounds of milk, resulting in $2 billion in sales for the cooperative. AMPI owns 10 manufacturing plants and markets cheese, butter and powdered dairy products, serving foodservice, retail and food ingredient customers.