Mike Helgeson ’74

GNP Company CEO Mike Helgeson ’74 Elected Board Chairman of the National Chicken Council

St. Cloud, Minn. (October 4, 2013)—Mike Helgeson ’74, chief executive officer at GNP Company™, the Midwest’s leading chicken producer of the Gold’n Plump® and Just BARE® chicken brands, was elected to serve as 2013-2014 board chairman of the National Chicken Council (NCC). Helgeson received the appointment during NCC’s Board of Directors meeting held Wednesday in Washington D.C.

“It’s a great honor to serve as the incoming chair for the National Chicken Council, and I look forward to serving the chicken industry in the upcoming year,” Helgeson said. “Ours is a vibrant and dynamic industry, one with great opportunities as well as ongoing challenges. As I take the gavel, I’m optimistic that we’ll continue to step-up to not only meet but exceed the challenges and opportunities the next year will bring us.”

Helgeson, who is the first in GNP Company’s history to assume the NCC board chairman role, has served as CEO and a member of the board of directors of GNP Company (formerly Gold’n Plump Poultry) since 1993. Helgeson has worked for the family business since he was 12 years old and became involved in the business full time in 1975. Helgeson spent his first two years of employment with the company in Indonesia, researching and developing a broiler operation from the ground up. He has worked as a project manager in the broiler division; served as the purchasing/elevator manager in the feed and grain division; as a new products manager in the sales and marketing departments; and as human resources manager in the company’s Cold Spring processing plant.

In his opening remarks as incoming chairman of the NCC, Helgeson addressed several current issues in the dynamic and volatile nature of the industry, which includes the ethanol mandate and it’s direct and negative impact on animal agriculture, as well as consumer food prices. Helgeson praised the poultry industry for its ability to stay relevant in a market-based economy. Helgeson ended his acceptance, noting the positive impact of the industry—both in the market and our communities. “We do this by responding to dynamic market conditions with tenacity; remaining relevant to customers and consumers through meeting changing needs and through shared values; and increasing our transparency by sharing how we deliver wholesome chicken products humanely, safely and sustainably. This includes rural communities, by providing business opportunities for growers and crop farmers, and through our philanthropy.” Helgeson concluded.

Helgeson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. and Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas’ Kotz Graduate School of Business.

###

About GNP Company™ and Its Dedication to Healthy
Based in St. Cloud, MN, GNP Company is a family-owned provider of premium branded and custom chicken products to retail, deli and foodservice customers nationally. It distributes products under the Just BARE®, Gold’n Plump® and Sunny Roost® brand names. The company employs about 1,600 people and partners with nearly 350 family farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin to produce wholesome, high-quality chicken. For more information about the company and its mission of “dedicated to healthy food, families and farms,” visit GNPCompany.com. For more information about its specific brands and products and to find chicken recipes, general cooking and safe handling tips and nutrition information, visit GoldnPlump.com and JustBareChicken.com.