Rob Mayfield, vice president of Mayfield Dairy Farms of Athens, Tennessee, recently received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the Tennessee Dairy Products Association.

Each year, the award is given to a long-time dairy industry leader who is also active in their community.

Mayfield grew up on the family farm, where his grandfather began processing milk and other dairy foods 85 years ago.

He attended the University of Tennessee . Then he joined the family business in 1971 and put  his undergraduate training in dairy microbiology and dairy chemistry into practice.

Since then, he has served as quality control manager of Mayfield Dairy Farms, ice cream plant manager and vice president of production. Currently, he serves as vice president and technical service manager.

Mayfield has served as president and chairman of the American Cultured Products Association and as president of the International Ice Cream Association’s Technology Council.

He has served as president of the Tennessee Dairy Products Association and the Southern Dairy Foods Manufacturers’ Association. He currently serves on the Tennessee Food Safety Task Force.

Rob is past president of the Athens Kiwanis Club and past chairman of Junior Achievement of McMinn and Bradley counties.

He was first to chair the Keep McMinn Beautiful Board and was an active board member of the McMinn United Way and the McMinn Economic Development Board.

He is currently a board member of the Bachman Academy in Cleveland, vice chairman of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Development Board and  an Elder of Mars Hill Presbyterian Church.

Mayfield has been married to his wife Debbie for  30 years, and they have two sons — 28-year-old Andy and 25-year-old Tim.

Mayfield is the third member of the Mayfield family to receive the DSA award. His father, Tom, and his cousin, Scottie, have also been recipients.

“It’s a great honor to receive this award from the Tennessee Dairy Products Association,” said Mayfield.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement with many professional and community organizations over the years, and I look forward to serving the dairy industry and my community for many more years to come.”

The Tennessee Dairy Products Association is an organization of dairy processing firms in Tennessee and Kentucky. It was founded in 1929 and is active in sponsoring 4-H program activities, university dairy products judging teams and annually holds the Tennessee dairy products evaluation contest at the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville.