Dave Buholzer of Klondike Cheese elected WCMA board president

Steve Bechel of Eau Galle Cheese Factory will serve as first vice president, and Chris Sandretti of Saputo Cheese USA will serve as second vice president.

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), Madison, Wis., said Dave Buholzer of Klondike Cheese Co. was elected to serve as president of the board of directors, beginning July 1. Steve Bechel of Eau Galle Cheese Factory will serve as first vice president, and Chris Sandretti of Saputo Cheese USA will serve as second vice president. Mike Neu of Chr. Hansen was elected as treasurer, and Greg Siegenthaler of Grande Cheese Co. was elected as secretary.

WCMA also said Mike Hinrichsen of Associated Milk Producers Inc., Randy LaGrander of LaGrander’s Hillside Dairy, Tim Omer of Emmi Roth USA and Mike Sipple of Agropur Inc. will join the 2019-20 board of directors.

“WCMA’s board of directors has enthusiastically supported new endeavors to address the nationwide labor shortage and to advocate for state and federal programs designed to boost dairy processing,” said WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer. “We thank them for their leadership. Now we welcome new perspectives that will help us build on our current programming and better serve all our members.”

The 2019-20 board of directors also includes:

Brian Baker of Baker Cheese.
Jim Bleick of Graf Creamery Inc.
Craig Filkouski of Great Lakes Cheese Co.
Gary Gosda of Lake Country Dairy.
Linda Lee of Prairie Farms Dairy.
Craig Linz of Tetra Pak Inc.
Ken Meyers of MCT Dairies Inc.
Paul Scharfman of Specialty Cheese Co.
Jeff Wideman of Maple Leaf Cheese.
Doug Wilke of Valley Queen Cheese.
Mark Witke of Zimmerman Cheese.
Tayt Wuethrich of Grassland Dairy Products Inc.

Retiring from the board this year, WCMA said, are current president, Kim Heiman of Nasonville Dairy; current first vice president, Kerry Henning of Henning’s Cheese; Kyle Jensen of Hilmar Cheese; and Jeff Kent and Matt Zimbric of Foremost Farms USA.