Marking 15 years with the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Kurt Shultz said it’s the challenges that keep him working to expand export markets.
“The Council has always challenged me in the positions I’ve had,” said Shultz, now USGC director of global strategies.
“I started out as a manager of international operations, and I was given a lot of responsibility – much more than I would ever have expected – and each position since has brought new challenges. It’s been a rewarding environment.”
From his manager position, he went on to head the Council’s Middle East and Africa office in Tunis, Tunisia, and its Western Hemisphere operations based in Panama before returning to his present position in Washington, D.C.
Shultz said he likes the combination of working with USGC membership, in agriculture and with an international focus.
“Working overseas has been one of the most rewarding assignments because it put me in direct contact with our customers and with relating our program back to our membership,” he said.
“The changes I’ve seen in 15 years have been big – the ethanol industry, plant genetics, more engagement by our members, closer involvement by the checkoff boards and, of course, the speed of communications. It’s challenging, but it also makes the work much more dynamic because the world has come into everyone’s life more directly than in the past.”
What’s most exciting for Shultz right now? He cites two new challenges: contributing his insights from Tunisia and Panama into strategic discussions in all 10 overseas offices and the Council’s new involvement in ethanol promotion.
“That’s a completely new market for us,” he said. “It’s a great challenge to be involved from the ground up as we start to build that.”
The Council will be honoring Shultz during its 12th International Marketing Conference and 55th Annual Membership Meeting in Heredia, Costa Rica, on Feb. 11. Click here for more information about attending that meeting.