ARA Honors Ernie Chappell with Lifetime Achievement Award

Today ARA honored Ernie Chappell with the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of leadership in ag retail.

Chappell received ARA’s highest individual honor during ARA’s Conference & Expo general session attended by about 600 agricultural professionals.

“Ernie stands as a trailblazer in the ag tech industry,” says ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock.

“His visionary efforts in digitizing ag retail and wholesale over the past 30 years have fundamentally advanced the industry. Ernie’s unwavering support for ARA, demonstrated through his active participation on the board and various committees, has contributed meaningfully to the success of the association and ag retailers in general. This award recognizes his career-spanning legacy, and I am confident his contributions to our industry are not yet complete. ARA is honored to recognize his enduring achievements and dedication.”

Nominated by his peers, Ernie was selected by the ARA Executive Committee. The ARA Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2001 and renamed in 2010 to honor the late Jack Eberspacher, who served as ARA president and CEO from 2001 until his death in 2009 and his career-spanning achievements and contributions to the agricultural retail industry.

“Aside from any contributions of innovation to help ag retailers from my business activity, it has been particularly rewarding to work alongside them as we strive to strengthen ARA,” says Chappell.

“I’m proud of the progress achieved in strengthening ARA with fellow board members, and I am humbled to have been selected for this award by ag retailers.”

Chappell, the founder of EFC Systems in 1988, has played a key role in the ag technology sector. In 2021, EFC Systems became the agribusiness division of Ever.Ag, further expanding its impact on the industry.

Learn more about the ARA Conference & Expo on the website or on ARA’s social media.