The Seam Announces Three New Hires, Celebrates Graduate of 2017 National Peanut Buying Points Association Leadership Program
MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 2, 2017 – The Seam, a leading provider of agribusiness software and trading solutions, today announced the appointment of Tammy Sullivan, Executive Assistant; Mike Vandenbergh, Director of Emerging Technologies; and Rex Vandiver, Customer Development. Sullivan and Vandenbergh report to Mark Pryor, Chairman and CEO. Vandiver reports to Steve Mitchell, Director, PMO and Operations.
"We are thrilled to add such experienced, dedicated individuals to our growing team," said Pryor. "The Seam's goal is to transform the agribusiness industry from a technology and accessibility standpoint, and Tammy, Mike and Rex are just the people we were looking for to get us there."
In her role as Executive Assistant, Sullivan will be handling administrative duties, including managing calendars; coordinating travel, meeting and event arrangements; preparing various reports; and assisting with customer and vendor relations. Prior to joining The Seam, she worked for Continental Airlines and United Airlines for more than 30 years as an international flight attendant, service manager and training specialist. Sullivan received a Bachelor of Arts in education from Louisiana Tech University.
As Director of Emerging Technologies, Vandenbergh will be working with The Seam's customers, partners and team members to build a modern technology consortium that will consist of an end-to-end supply chain solution based on blockchain technology. This initiative will follow commodity products from provenance to their ultimate consumption, which will lead to greater visibility, traceability and efficiency by highlighting the origins and histories of the products and goods people consume. Before his move to The Seam, Vandenbergh served as the Vice President of Information Technology at MicroPact Global. He has more than 20 years of IT experience, in roles such as Managing Director of Technology Operations at Raymond James Financial and Vice President of Technology Operations at Regions Financial. Vandenbergh received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Memphis.
In his role as Customer Development, Vandiver will be working directly with The Seam's current and future customers, as well as the customer support team, to collaboratively create solutions to help better manage business through technology. Prior to working for The Seam, Vandiver was the Sales Manager for Ross Manufacturing Company, an agribusiness firm that manufactures bucket elevators and other conveying equipment for various commodities. He was also involved in managing day-to-day operations and purchasing. Vandiver received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Additionally, The Seam recently announced that Vandiver is a graduate of the National Peanut Buying Points Association Annual Leadership Program, a first for The Seam. The Program's objective is to provide intensive training opportunities for young members of the industry, while developing and improving leadership skills and understanding of the history of buying points and the American peanut industry. The 2017 Program selected 19 students to participate, including Vandiver. As an industry partner of the NPBPA, The Seam is focused on developing new software that aids in how shellers and buying points operate daily, as well as providing relevant data to make the industry more sustainable for the producer.
"I wanted to attend the leadership training not only to show The Seam's commitment to advancing the technology used in the peanut industry, but also because I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of how this industry works and the struggles it faces," said Vandiver. "With my experience and new role at The Seam, I am able to better understand how this industry operates and anticipate requests, so that we can work to provide the software that the peanut industry needs to make it more efficient."
About the National Peanut Buying Points Association
The National Peanut Buying Points Association is a representative association for America's 400+ peanut buying points. The Association's goal is to be an informed liaison between the farmer and the peanut sheller, to strive for fair and transparent government rules and regulations, and to seek new and innovative technology that will foster the continuation of peanut buying points as a major segment of the industry. For more information on the NPBPA, visit www.peanutbuyingpoints.org.
About The Seam
The Seam was founded by leading global agribusiness companies and specializes in commodity trading and management systems. In December 2000, it began operating the world's first completely online, anonymous exchange for cotton trading. Since that time, the company has leveraged its software and application development expertise in agriculture to expand into other commodity segments, including peanuts, grains and dairy. As a proven leader in the agritech and fintech space, The Seam has cleared or processed more than $8 billion through its platforms. For more information, visit www.theseam.com.
Beth Wilson, inferno
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