The Board of Trustees of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame proudly announces seven new members will be inducted into the Hall as the Class of 2018. Approximately 40 industry titans were nominated this year, and the Class of 2018 was elected from those nominees by the Trustees and all the living Members of the Hall. Nominees included industry executives, scientists, innovators and association leaders from all sectors of the livestock, meatpacking and poultry processing industries.

"Once again, the Board of Trustees and living Members of the Hall have done well to sort through a crowded field of well-qualified nominations," said Andy Hanacek, director of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame and editor-in-chief of The National Provisioner magazine. "The Hall welcomes a class representing a wide variety of disciplines and divisions of the meat and poultry industry. All inductees have a staunch record of innovation and advancement behind them, and I personally cannot wait to celebrate their accomplishments at the ceremony in February."

"Induction into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame is the quintessential achievement in the meat and poultry industry," said Chris Luke, publisher of The National Provisioner. "Based on the list of accomplishments of the members of the Class of 2018, it's no surprise that voters chose them to be inducted into the Hall this year."

The Induction Ceremony for the new Meat Industry Hall of Fame members will take place on Feb. 11, 2019, at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta. The dinner and presentation ceremony will run in conjunction with the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), with the support of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY).

Here is the Meat Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2018:

• Rod Bowling, AG Marketing Specialist, USDA-AMS; Owner, AgriFood Solutions International
• Neil Genshaft, CEO, Fresh Mark
• Ronald Miniat, Chairman of the Board, Miniat Holdings
• Elsa Murano, Director, Borlaug Institute; Past President, Texas A&M University
• James Riemann, Assistant Secretary, Kansas Dept. of Agriculture (retired); Past President, Certified Angus Beef LLC
• Mike Satzow, Executive Vice President, North Country Smokehouse
• Jimmy Wise, Meat Judging Program Coordinator, American Meat Science Association (retired); AG Marketing Specialist, USDA-AMS

To learn more about the Meat Industry Hall of Fame or purchase tickets to this esteemed event, go to www.meatindustryhalloffame.com.