David Cramer Honored For 30 Years With United Cooperative

United Cooperative patron members joined together in standing ovation at the cooperative’s annual meeting for United Cooperative President and Chief Executive Officer David Cramer. Cramer was recognized for his 30-year anniversary, as leader of the Beaver Dam, Wis.-based cooperative, at the April 8 meeting in Juneau, Wis.

 

“United Cooperative has had only three managers in our 78-year history,” noted United Cooperative Board of Directors chairman, Howard Bohl. “David started with United Cooperative in 1984, when the cooperative recorded $7 million in sales.” During this year’s annual meeting, Cramer reported sales for 2013 at almost $630 million. In addition, before taxes, United Cooperative achieved a net income of more than $50 million, an increase of more than $16 million from 2012.

 

“David Cramer is one of those people who has a vision of what he wants to accomplish; but, he stands out from the rest because he has the drive and ambition to accomplish that goal,” says Bohl “David has driven this cooperative to levels of success never expected.”

 

Donald Bohl, Beaver Dam, was chairman of the United Cooperative Board of Directors when Cramer was hired. “In the interview, David Cramer quickly struck us as somebody exceptional,” remembers Donald Bohl. “He came on board at United Cooperative in the 80s, a time when farming was experiencing a lot of problems, and when both farming and cooperatives were changing – it was the opportune time to hire David.”

 

United Cooperative employs about 650 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees throughout Wisconsin, and Cramer never forgets the people who helped him achieve his success. “We have a tremendous team of employees who work together very well … they always have the interest of our customers in mind, too,” noted Cramer during the annual meeting.

 

In the photo David Cramer, United Cooperative president and chief executive officer, gets emotional when speaking to cooperative patron members at the annual meeting on about his 30 years of service as United Cooperative’s leader. ”I’m not done, yet; there’s still much more work to do, and I’m looking forward to it.”