Nine Keystone Employees Recognized Among ARA’s 2024 Rising Stars

Dec 12, 2024


The Ag Retailers Association recently recognized a group of top performers and emerging leaders as part of its Rising Stars award program at the 2024 ARA Conference & Expo. Keystone had nine employees named Rising Stars in 2024, a testament to the cooperative’s investment in the next generation of ag leaders.
Keystone’s winners include:
  • Blaine Rohlk, Fritchton
  • Aaron Villicana, Union Mills
  • Jared Myers, State Line
  • Darren Wiatt, Russellville
  • Brent Tinkel, Herbst
  • Ben Wiatt, Advance
  • Lane Hacker, Stilesville
  • Hannah Davis, Marketing
  • Kyle Pulley, R & F
The Rising Stars program is a significant way for ARA retailer member companies like ours to nominate emerging leaders to be recognized for their work in front of hundreds of industry professionals and to explore new ways to advance their leadership skills. 

Through participation in ARA Conference educational sessions and networking events, ARA Rising Stars expanded their network to include industry thought leaders such as ARA board members and learned new approaches to apply to their work. 

The theme of this year’s Rising Stars award program was “Empowering Leadership through the Next Frontier.” As part of the award application process, many nominees submitted videos, sharing their unique stories and explaining what this year's theme meant to them.

Each Rising Star also completed the ARA NAVIGATOR 360° online leadership assessment to identify their own strengths and areas to improve as it relates to their company’s unique needs. This tool empowers organizations to thrive in challenging times through developing effective leadership. 

We congratulate all winners and thank each for representing Keystone so well on the national level.



Pictured L – R are Doug Whicker, VP of Agronomy; Blaine Rohlk, Fritchton; Aaron Villicana, Union Mills; Jared Myers, State Line; Darren Wiatt, Russellville; Brent Tinkel, Herbst; Ben Wiatt, Advance; Lane Hacker, Stilesville; Hannah Davis, Marketing; Kyle Pulley, R & F.

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