Certified Hereford Beef (CHB®) awarded Coborn’s Incorporated, Merchants Foodservice, Chef Scott Ellinger, National Beef Packing and Greater Omaha Packing with CHB honors Oct. 27 at the American Hereford Association (AHA) Honorees Reception during the AHA Annual Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo. “This year has been one of growth and transformation for Certified Hereford Beef, and our program continues to strengthen,” says Chief Operating Officer Amari Seiferman. “We truly appreciate the hard work and dedication our partners have put into the CHB brand, and it is with great honor that we recognize their achievements. Coborn’s Incorporated Coborn’s Incorporated was named the 2017 Retailer of the Year. Coborn’s is a retail grocery chain with 120 locations across Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Illinois and Iowa. Coborn’s started as a produce market in Sauk Rapids, Minn., in 1921. The Coborn family grew the company into an 8,000 employee owned operation with an annual revenue of $1.4 billion. Today, two generations of the Coborn family leadership are actively involved in the company. Affiliated Foods Inc. Affiliated Foods, Inc., was named the 2017 Retail Wholesaler of the Year. Affiliated Foods meets the needs of grocery stores and restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Arkansas by supplying fresh meat, produce, bread and dairy products. Affiliated Foods is successful in promoting Certified Hereford Beef through in-house product cuttings and samplings. Merchants Foodservice Merchants Foodservice was named the 2017 Foodservice of the Year. Merchants is a foodservice distributor with three locations in Jackson, Miss.; Clanton, Ala.; and Newberry, S.C. Merchants Foodservice was founded more than 110 years in ago and has grown into the 12th largest foodservice distributor in the U.S. with operations in 12 states servicing more than 6,000 customers with a team of 800 individuals. Chef Scott Ellinger Chef Scott Ellinger was awarded the 2017 Chef Brand Ambassador. He is the executive chef and owner of The Brass Rail Steakhouse in O’Fallon, Mo. The Brass Rail Steakhouse was the first restaurant to market the CHB logo on its menu in the St. Louis market. Chef Scott has expanded his restaurant by opening an adjoining fresh market where his customers can purchase CHB steaks to take home to their families. Chef Scott has been instrumental in supporting the initiative to create consumer awareness for the CHB program. National Beef Packing National Beef Packing was named the 2017 Brand Champion of the Year. This award is given to the company that best markets and promotes the CHB brand in the industry. National Beef partnered with CHB in 2003. The partnership was elevated in 2016 by offering a retail ready program to enhance the product line offerings under the CHB label. National Beef’s commitment to the CHB program was further enhanced by the launch of the CHB Premium Program in January 2017, which provides a top USDA Choice and Prime program to the industry. Greater Omaha Packing Co. Greater Omaha Packing was named the 2017 Packer of the Year. This award highlights the imitative and commitment to growing and developing the CHB brand and program. Greater Omaha Packing has been a CHB partner since 1999 and consistently increases carcass utilization and number of head certified.