Emergent, a Plano, Texas-based company building America’s first nationwide automation platform for agriculture, announced Jan. 7 that Bob Trogele has been named the 2025 recipient of the Agricultural Retailers Association’s Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award.
With this honor, Emergent now counts two consecutive ARA Lifetime Achievement Award winners among its Advisory Board, following Ernie Chappell’s 2024 recognition.
The Jack Eberspacher Award is the highest distinction in agricultural retail, honoring leaders whose careers reflect exceptional vision, service, and long-term commitment to advancing agriculture.
“Emergent truly has a Hall of Fame advisory board,” said Mike Roudi, CEO of Emergent. “To have one Lifetime Achievement Award winner helping guide our mission would be extraordinary. To have two—back-to-back honorees who are among the most respected leaders in agriculture—speaks to both the credibility of Emergent and the importance of what we’re building for farmers, ag retailers, and the future of agriculture.”
Trogele has spent decades leading global agricultural innovation, advancing grower profitability, and supporting the modernization of agricultural systems. Chappell, recognized in 2024, is widely regarded as a pioneer in agricultural software, trusted retail enablement, and technology transformation across the industry. Both Trogele and Chappell are also significant investors in Emergent, reflecting their conviction in the company’s mission and long-term potential.
“I’m honored to receive the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award, and even more proud to be working alongside Emergent at a moment when agriculture needs practical, scalable solutions,” Trogele said. “What drew me to Emergent is their clear focus on helping farmers and ag retailers solve real problems—reliability, simplicity, and trust. This platform is built for how agriculture actually works, and I believe it has the potential to meaningfully improve both profitability and quality of life for producers.”
“The Emergent team is doing a great job of the essential business principle of staying focused,” Chappel said. “That focus on solving a real issue and providing technology that benefits multiple stakeholders—including farmers and ag retailers—is driving their right to win in the sector, which is why I’m proud to participate with them in their growth initiatives.”
“Bob and Ernie represent the very best of agricultural leadership — people who have earned trust over decades by staying grounded in the realities of farming and ag retail,” said David Alpert, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Emergent. “Their guidance, perspective, and conviction as both advisors and investors are instrumental as we scale the Rip Platform and bring RipLINK, Rip’s Warehouse, and Ask Rip to market in a way that delivers real, durable value to producers and the channel partners they trust.”
Emergent is rapidly building partnerships with leading ag retailers, co-ops, independent dealers, and forward-thinking growers to deliver practical, proven, low-cost automation solutions powered by dependable connectivity across every acre, animal, and asset.
