Featured in Urner Barry’s Reporter news magazine and other poultry industry reports. Urner Barry annually recognizes individuals in the poultry and egg industries for their efforts in improving food production and the respect they have earned from industry peers. For 2022, the Poultry Person of the Year award was presented to Kent Puffenbarger of Prestage Foods in North Carolina.
“Kent is a poultry industry force to be reckoned with, a great human being and a special friend,” said Urner Barry Senior Vice President Russ Whitman.
“All of our Persons of the Year in the past have had to be a gentleman or gentlewoman in their business practices. Someone who isn’t working for their own advancement, but rather for the industry as a whole,” said Whitman, who presented Puffenbarger with the award at the Urner Barry Executive Conference in May. “Kent is an individual that due to his humbleness and lack of ego has flown underneath the radar for the decades that he has served the industry, so it was a pleasure to honor him with the award.”
Kent is sales manager at Prestage Foods and has been part of the Prestage team since 2006. He has also served the National Turkey Federation as a board member, is a long-time member of many industry associations, and was the chairman of USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. More than his achievements, knowledge, and service in the industry, Kent was chosen for this prestigious award because of his character. It was said that Kent has a “reputation as a true gentleman, a man who is honorable, possesses work ethic, commitment, and professionalism.” For all these reasons, Urner Barry chose Kent to be this year’s Poultry Person of the Year.
