Karen Whitt Named to State Ag Retailer Board

Bruce Vernon, Chief Executive Officer of The Equity, has announced Karen Whitt, Chief Financial Officer, has been named to the Board of Directors of the Agriculture Retailers Association (ARA). She began her term on the Board in February.

According to Vernon, “We are very proud to have Karen on the ARA Board. Her financial expertise and experience in agribusiness will provide association members great representation and insight.”

The Agriculture Retailers Association is a nonprofit trade association that advocates for American agricultural retailers and gives them political representation. The leadership team for the ARA comprises 44 board members representing a diverse cross-section of agribusiness, including retailers, distributors, and manufacturers of crop protection chemicals, fertilizer, technology, services, and equipment. One of the goals of the ARA is to ensure a favorable business environment remains for American agriculture. The organization stays on top of legislative and regulatory issues and represents the best interests of agriculture retailers across the United States.

“I am very excited to serve on the Board of Directors for the ARA. I have a vested interest in agriculture and am proud to be a part of an organization that helps to educate and influence the future of agribusiness,” remarks Whitt.

Whitt has been with The Equity for 19 years and has served in her current role as CFO since 2015. Prior to joining The Equity, Karen worked as an auditor for IAAA, Assistant Controller for Piatt County Service Company, and Controller for Waterway Ag. She participates in the CFO Council with Land O’ Lakes and is on the planning committee for a CFO Roundtable sponsored by Kansas State and CoBank.

Karen graduated from the University of Illinois with her degree in Accountancy and is also a CPA. She resides in Altamont with her husband, Alan, and they have three children.

The Equity is the largest independent agricultural cooperative in Illinois, and offers a broad range of products to fulfill customers’ needs including Agronomy, Grain Services, Feed & Livestock, Energy, and a Hardware Do It Center. The Equity market area covers 20,000+ square miles in Illinois with locations in Effingham, Stewardson, Lovington, Altamont, Marshall, Galton, Farina, Alma, West Liberty, Dieterich, Montrose, Strasburg, Pana, Robinson, Greenville, Horace and St. Rose. The Equity recently expanded into Indiana with a location in Farmersburg, IN.