King to Retire from Ohio AgriBusiness Association After 21 Years of Service

Open House to Be Held September 23

COLUMBUS, OH—September 12, 2011—Gary King, former president and chief executive officer of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA)—will be officially retiring from the organization at the end of October. King has been serving OABA in a consulting capacity since May, when Christopher Henney succeeded him as president and CEO.

“We wish Gary the best in his retirement,” said OABA Board Chair Herb Mayer. “I’ve been involved with OABA since 1998, and I have greatly appreciated Gary’s twenty-one years of dedication and commitment to OABA and its members.”

Born and raised in Lansing, Mich., King attended Michigan State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and wrestled. He began his career in agribusiness with Michigan Miller’s Insurance Company. After that, he worked as a risk manager for several grain elevators and became active in committees of the Michigan AgriBusiness Association (MABA). He was then hired as the MABA president and CEO, a position he held for six years before joining OABA. King began his service with OABA in May of 1990.

“I have greatly enjoyed serving OABA and the agribusiness industry,” King said. “I was extremely fortunate to work with great boards and staff, and I wish Chris and the OABA members nothing but the best as they continue to move the association and agribusiness forward.”

King is a past president of the National Grain and Feed Association's Agricultural Association Executives Council and the immediate past president of the Ohio Society of Association Executives. He holds the designation of Certified Association Executive, as bestowed by the American Society of Association Executives, and was the recipient of the Ohio State University's Meritorious Service Award for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Science.

An open house will be held September 23, 2011 from 3:00–6:00 p.m. to celebrate Gary’s service to OABA and the agribusiness industry. The event will take place at the Crown Plaza North (8995 Doubletree Ave.; Columbus, Ohio, 43229). To RSVP for the open house, please contact the OABA office at (614) 326-7520 or email Sandy Diosy at sdiosy@oaba.net.

The Ohio AgriBusiness Association is a commercial agribusiness state trade association which has promoted an active, professional, profitable and environmentally sound agribusiness industry in Ohio since 1880. OABA provides government representation, education and training, information services, member services and industry networking to its membership, which includes feed processors and distributors, independent and cooperative grain elevators, fertilizers dealers and processers, chemical companies, equipment companies, consultants, agribusiness law firms, agricultural financers, agribusiness insurance and more.

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