The American Bankers Association today announced the recipients of its annual Bruning and Blanchfield Awards, which recognize significant contributions to agricultural banking. Dave Coggins, retired senior vice president of ag banking at Nicolet National Bank in Green Bay, Wisconsin, will receive the Bruning Award during the ABA Agricultural Bankers Conference, Nov. 12-15 in Milwaukee. Carroll Merry, president of Countryside Marketing in Germantown, Wisconsin, will receive the Blanchfield Award at the conference.
Coggins, a native of Wisconsin who retired in June 2023, spent more than 40 years in ag banking as a lender, and respected industry leader. Throughout his career, Coggins sought to educate anyone interested in a career in agriculture, especially youth. During his time at Nicolet National Bank, Coggins participated in market animal shows, local fairs and was given the opportunity on behalf of his bank to donate to a charity or nonprofit each year. For the past several years, Coggins chose to use his donation to help The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, a venue dedicated to educating the public about agriculture through interactive exhibits and tours.
Merry worked in advertising and public relations with companies such as J I Case, Gehl Company and Massey Ferguson. He and his wife, Jean, founded Countryside Marketing in 1994 as a public relations and association management company. After having left sales and publishing roles with AgriMarketing and AgriFinance magazines, one of his first clients was the Farm Financial Standards Council, where he became the group’s administrator, a role he held for 30 years.
