Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
February 14, 2011

Becker Underwood is saying goodbye to one of recent memory's best agri-marketers, Ferdie Schneidersmann, and promoting Ralph deVries to the role of director of marketing for Canada.

Schneidersmann will retire April 1, 2011 after a long, distinguished career in agriculture. He has led the Becker Underwood marketing team in Canada since 2004.

"Under his marketing guidance and the coordinated efforts of the Becker Underwood Canada sales, operations, administration and R&D teams, we have more than doubled our Canadian business over the past four years," says Paul Holliday, director of marketing, sales and operations, NAFTA region. "We're all going to miss Ferdie and his ever present, optimistic, 'we can get it done' attitude."

Last year, Schneidersmann earned one of the industry's highest honours when he was named the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association Agri-Marketer of the Year.

For the past year Ralph deVries has worked closely with Schneidersmann as assistant director of marketing. With the announcement of Schneidersmann's retirement, deVries has been promoted and will now assume full marketing responsibilities in Canada.

"Ralph has been a valuable member of the Becker Underwood team since 2008," says Holliday. "Those who work with him appreciate his knowledge and his co-operative style. He's got big shoes to fill but he's more than capable of doing the job."

An MBA from the University of Windsor bolsters deVries' many years of experience in sales positions with both regional and multinational companies in the agriculture industry.

Becker Underwood, Inc., founded in 1982, is an international developer of bio-agronomic and specialty products. In addition to being the leading manufacturer of seed coatings and colorants, the company is also the leading global producer of inoculants, beneficial nematodes, and a wide range of agricultural and horticultural products. To learn more about its products, visit the company's web site at www.BeckerUnderwood.ca.

The Becker Underwood logo is a trademark of Becker Underwood, Inc and is licensed to Becker Underwood Canada Ltd.

Website: http://www.seedquest.com/yellowpages/americas/usa/b/beckerunderwood/default.htm

Published: February 14, 2011