New Directors & Officers Elected at Convention

Janea Danuser will lead the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association in 2020. Members of the Board of Directors elected her as president during the 2019 Marketing & Distribution Convention in St. Louis.

Danuser is vice president and co-owner of Danuser Machine Company in Fulton, Mo. The company manufactures agricultural and industrial attachments as well as OEM parts and assemblies. Danuser is part of the fourth generation in leadership at the 109-year-old company.

She succeeds Nick Jensen of Thurston Manufacturing in Thurston, Neb. Serving with Danuser in officer roles will be:

  • First Vice President Matt Westendorf, general manager of Westendorf Manufacturing Co., in Onawa, Iowa.
  • Second Vice President Tim Burenga, vice president of sales and purchasing at Worksaver, Inc., in Litchfield, Ill.
  • Treasurer Paul Jeffrey, general manager at MacDon in Kansas City, Mo.
  • Secretary Ben Hellbusch, vice president of sales and marketing at Duo Lift Manufacturing Co., and general manager at Busch Equipment Co., both in Columbus, Neb. He was newly elected as an officer in St. Louis.

The officers will lead a 16-person board. Hours before their election, member companies at the Association’s annual business meeting elected four executives as directors. Beginning three-year terms are:

  • Marc Ivey, vice president of business development for Dirt Dog Manufacturing in Commerce, Ga.
  • Phil Landoll, vice president of operations at Landoll Corp., in Marysville, Kan.
  • Jon Sherrod, area manager for Bondioli & Pavesi in Ashland, Va.
  • Clair Ellis, president of Ellis Equipment Co. in Logan, Utah.

Ivey, Landoll, and the officers are farm equipment manufacturers, or regular members. Sherrod represents the Supplier Associate member section; Ellis represents the marketing members.

Member companies also re-elected Carrie Gunnerson and Paul Jeffrey to additional terms on the board.

Danuser has attended Association meetings for 20 years. She is the second female president of the Association and the third from Danuser Machine Co. She says networking is among the chief benefits of membership for her.

“The Association offers different conference venues each year, and it is extremely valuable to be able to meet with others in agricultural markets, including manufacturers, suppliers, and distribution partners,” she said. “We have similar challenges, and learning from others helps to truly translate those challenges into rewarding opportunities.”

Third generation owner Jerry Danuser, Janea’s father, served as president of the Association in 2003. Landoll’s father Don was president in 1991. Jim Hellbusch, Ben’s father, was president in 1999.

In her comments at convention, Danuser said that whether a company has generations of experience with the Association or joined in recent months, executives have opportunities through membership to grow their network, build their business, and emerge as leaders in the Association.