Sue Payne 

Sue Payne is Chief Executive Officer of ACA Co-operative Limited and holds the position of Director of ACA’s wholly owned subsidiary Eastern Protein Foods Limited. Sue is also the Chairman of Country Ribbon Inc. (CRI) in St. John’s Newfoundland.

Sue began her career in public auditing with Price Waterhouse. She then left public practice for experience in industry to take the position of Director of Finance for Camp Hill Medical Centre. As a native of the Annapolis Valley, Sue returned to the Valley in 1996 in the position of Chief Financial Officer of ACA. She assumed her current role as CEO in 1999.

Sue has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University in Wolfville and received her Chartered Accountant (CA) designation in 1989. In 2006, she obtained her chartered director (C. Dir) designation from McMaster University. Sue was awarded her FCA designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of NS in 2007.

Sue is very active in industry related and community organizations. She is a member of Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council (CPEPC); is a Director on the AgraPoint Board and holds the position of Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and serves on the governance committee. Sue is on the Advisory Board for Lawtons Drug Stores Limited and Camp Brigadoon, a camp being built in the Annapolis Valley for chronically ill children.

In the past 6 years, Sue served on the Board of Governors of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC) (2001-2007); and as a govenor of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and as Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee (2001-2007). She served on the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia (ICANS) council for many years in various executive positions and served as president from 2005-2006.

Sharon Beasley 

Sharon Beasley is Vice President, Corporate Services for ACA Co-operative Limited. She is responsible for the management of the Accounting, Finance, Human Resources and Information Systems departments.

Prior to joining ACA, Sharon spent ten years in the banking industry in Toronto before moving to Nova Scotia to start her own business. She was president of a Halifax based food company for nine years. Running the business provided her with a broad range of experience that she brings to ACA.

Sharon graduated from the University of Toronto in 1985 and then obtained her designation as a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) in 1991. In 2006, she completed her Executive MBA from Saint Mary's University.

 

Gerry Kennie 

Gerry Kennie is Vice President of Agriculture for ACA Co-operative Limited. He is responsible for the agricultural operations of the Co-operative; Breeder Farms, Layer Farms, Feed Manufacturing and Retail Division as well as Member Services.

Gerry’s career at ACA began in 1990 as a Field Representative. In 1993, he was promoted to Manager, Hatchery Division and Member Services and also held secretarial positions for the Education and Member Relations Committee and the ACA Producers’ Stabilization Plan. He was appointed to his current position as VP in 1999.

Gerry holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro. Since joining ACA, he has also participated in many training programs including Canadian Agri-Food Executive Development Program, Dale Carnegie Training and Financial Management.

Currently, Gerry is Director of the Atlantic Poultry Research Institute, Chair of the Canadian Hatchery Federation, Director and Treasurer of the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council, and a member of the Pricing and License Advisory Committees of the Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia. He is also the corporate representative for ACA with the Eastern Kings Chamber of Commerce (EKCC) and is a Director to the EKCC Board. 


Kevin Rafuse 

Kevin Rafuse is Vice President of Operations of ACA Co-operative Limited. He is responsible for the daily operations of both the Primary and Further Processing Manufacturing plants.

Kevin began his career at ACA in 1985 as a truck driver and his hard work and commitment paid dividends as he quickly rose through the ranks to become Operations Manager of the Primary Processing Plant and then, in 1998, was promoted to Director of Poultry Operations. He assumed his current role as VP in 1999. In the spring of 2000, Kevin played a major role in the acquisition of Country Ribbon Inc. in St. John’s, Newfoundland. To this day, he oversees the daily operations of Country Ribbon. 

In 2000, Kevin received his Certificate in Management (CIM) from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.

Kevin currently is a Director on the Country Ribbon Board and a Director for Eastern Protein Foods Limited. He also holds the position of Director with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Annapolis Valley. 



Kevin Beyea 

Kevin Beyea is Vice President, Sales & Marketing for ACA Co-operative Limited. He is responsible for the marketing of our EdenValley Farms retail brand and overseeing all sales, including both fresh and further processed poultry.

Kevin has over 20 years experience with retail marketing and management within the food industry. The largest part of his career was spent in the soft drink industry, advancing to Regional VP of Sales where he expanded markets into the U.S. and Caribbean. He joined ACA in 1999 as Director of Sales & Marketing and was appointed to his current role of Vice President in the fall of that same year.

Kevin has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick in Saint John.

Currently, Kevin, is active in the New Brunswick Food & Beverage Processors Association and is a past Board member with Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op Limited.