2013 Officers and Executive Committee

 

PRESIDENT: RANDY VERHOEK - DANBURY, TX

Randy, a South Dakota native, and his wife Roberta started keeping bees in 1990 and Harvest Honey was formed when an opportunity arose to purchase 750 beehives from Roberta’s grandfather in north central Kansas and be mentored from his 60 years of experience.

By 1993, the operation was expanded to 1,500 hives and also began to move bees to central California for almond pollination.

In 1997, the operation was running 4,000 hives due to an increased demand for bees for pollination. This same year, the business started a transition to move the operation to Bismarck, ND—finishing the move in 1998.

In 2003, a separate business founded as IntegriBees, LLC was formed with the purchase of a bee operation in Danbury, TX. The Danbury operation is now the base operation for raising queens and bees for Texas and North Dakota honey production, as well as wintering bees until they are sent to California for almond pollination.

Randy currently serves as the President of the American Honey Producers Association and is on the board of directors of the National Honey Bee Advisory Board and founding member of the National Pollinator Defense Fund.

Outside of beekeeping Randy worked as a mechanic, welder and in auto body repair field which all lend well to operating a large bee operation.

Randy has two daughters Rochelle and Rebekah.

 

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VICE PRESIDENT: DARREN COX - MENDON, UT

Darren Cox is president of Cox Honey of Utah, LLC. A fourth generation beekeeper, Cox’s family started keeping bees in St. George, Utah in the late 1800’s.

In 1929 Cox Honey was incorporated as a family business. Darren bought and took over operation of Cox Honey from his father, Duane Cox, in 2002. He manages between 4,000 and 5,000 hives of honeybees.

Darren was nominated to the EPA Farm, Ranch, and Rural Committees Advisory Committee in 2007; appointed as chairman for the American Honey Producers Association Ag Advisory Board in 2008; appointed as Chairman for the National Honey Bee Advisory Board in 2009-2010; board member of National Pollinator Defense Fund; elected delegate for the American Honey Producers Association for the state of Utah since 2008, and currently serves as Vice President of the American Honey Producers Association.

 

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EXECUTIVE SECRETARY: CASSIE COX - MENDON, UT

Cassie has lived in Utah most of her life, and lived in Kenya, Africa for two years. She was employed by Sprint for four years, and managed a coffee roasting company for five years. Cassie also worked for a commercial fossil dealership and spent some time digging up fossils and dinosaur bones in Utah and Wyoming.

Cassie has an Associate's Degree in Graphic Art and Media Design, as well as eighteen years office management experience, and thirteen years bee industry experience. She has two children-a son, Randy and a daughter, Jaime.

 

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TREASURER: KELVIN ADEE - BRUCE, SD

 

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PAST PRESIDENT: MARK JENSEN - POWER, MT

Mark Jensen is part-owner of Smoot Honey Company, a family owned business, in Power, MT. Smoot Honey runs 5,600 colonies for honey production just east of the Rocky Mountain Front in Central Montana. They have been a package operation since 1964 producing around 650,000 pounds of quality Montana honey each season.

Mark has served as the Montana State Beekeeper’s Association president and on the AHPA Executive Committee and is currently AHPA president. He is also the editor of AHPA’s Honey Producer Magazine and holds degrees in Environmental Biology and Psychology from the University of Montana, Missoula.

 

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: STEVEN COY - PERKINSON, MS

Steven Coy is a third generation beekeeper who with his father and two brothers operate Coy’s Honey Farm, Inc. they manage 12,000 colonies in Arkansas, Mississippi and Southeast Missouri. The Coy’s are members of Sioux Honey Association.

Steven is the current President of the Russian Honey Bee Breeders Association, and is active in the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science, and a Master’s Degree in Biology, both from Arkansas State University.

In addition to his work as a beekeeper, he also worked as a research assistant on the control of Tarnished Plant Bug in Cotton at ASU, and as a research technician at the USDA Biological Control Research Unit in Stoneville, MS.

 

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: DOUG HAUKE - MARSHFIELD, WI

Doug Hauke manages the Hauke Honey Corporation, a 3,000 colony operation which produces and packages honey at its FDA/USDA inspected facility in Marshfield, WI and he also produces nucs and queens in East Texas.

Doug serves on the board of at Project Apis m. and had the opportunity to work several seasons at the Madison Bee Lab under Dr. Eric Erickson and E.R. Harp. Doug earned degrees in bacteriology and virology from the University of Wisconsin.

 

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: JOE SANROMA - BUNKIE, LA

Joe Sanroma is a manager, for the Cards who own Merrimack Valley Apiaries/Evergreen Honey Company which operates out of Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York.   MVA/EHC runs 26,000 colonies for honey production and pollination along the East Coast and California.  Joe grew up in Massachusetts, and started working at Merrimack Valley Apiaries at the age of 14.  In 1997, Joe moved to Louisiana to manage the newly formed Evergreen Honey Company which produces honey and pollinates in California.  He cares for bees from MVA producing nucs for sale, increase colonies that pollinate in the Northeast, and honey.  They raise over 60,000 queen cells over the year.  Joe has been working for MVA/EHC for 30 years.

In addition to being on the Executive Board for AHPA, Joe also serves as president of the Louisiana Beekeepers Association, and is on the USDA/ARS Research Lab committee chair.  Joe has been instrumental in the collaboration between MVA/EHC and the USDA labs on various area wide research projects.  Joe is married, his wife Donna owns Sunshine Honey Bees which raises queens.  They have five children.

 

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: RYAN COSYNS - MADERA, CA

Ryan Cosyns is a fourth generation farmer from Madera, California.  In 2005, the family farming business had an opportunity to purchase a beekeeping operation with 3,500 hives, a syrup business, and a brokerage business.  This purchase became Ryan’s full-time job, and new career.  The operation currently operates out of Chowchilla, California. Ryan has just begun his eighth year in the business. 

Ryan completed the Almond Board Industry Leadership Program in 2009, and currently serves on the Almond Board of California’s Industry Services Committee.  He is the Madera County Representative for the California Farm Bureau Bee Advisory Committee.  Ryan is a member of the California State Beekeepers Association.

Ryan and his wife, Leslie, keep busy with their four children, a son and three daughters ranging in age from three to thirteen years old.