OVERLAND PARK, KS — DJ LeCrone, CEO of LeMatic , will receive the Fred Springer Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s BEMA convention, to be held June 20-24 in Bluffton, SC.
The award was established in 2001 under the chairmanship of Fred Springer, former president of Burford Corp and 2001-2002 BEMA chair. It is given to a BEMA member who has made significant contributions to the association and to the baking industry.
In 2018, the recognition was renamed the Fred Springer Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of Springer’s commitment to the organization and industry.
“It’s quite an honor,” LeCrone said. “It’s BEMA’s highest award. I presented it to my father when he received it, and then I presented it to Fred in 2018. It holds a special place in my heart.”
This is the first time the award is being given since 2019, according to Kerwin Brown, president and CEO of BEMA.
“We don’t give it out every year,” Brown explained. “It is our highest award, and we feel it is more important to honor the person than just giving an award every year.”
LeCrone’s recognition carries significant meaning for him, considering his decades-long friendship with Springer.
“Fred and I lived and breathed BEMA together for years,” LeCrone said. “It’s very prestigious, and I very much appreciate it. There’s a lot of history and a lot of great memories. I’m very thankful to BEMA and to have been a part of it and still be part of it in the future.”
The two have served the industry together through roles in BEMA in the late ’90s and on the executive committee in the early 2000s, as well as the 2019 International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) committee.
“To me, it’s a big honor for DJ to receive the award,” said Springer, recalling their friendship and mutual love for the industry. “It’s just what the award was meant for, to recognize people who have really given so much of their heart and soul to BEMA.”
LeCrone began working on machinery and equipment in his teens and has remained steadily involved in the industry and association in various ways such as serving as chair of BEMA in 2003-2004 and the IBIE committee in 2019 and 2022.
“DJ is a person who has been part of the fabric of BEMA for a long, long time,” Brown said. “He’s been consistently active and continues to support BEMA. If there’s something we’re doing, DJ will either be there or have someone from his company there. He’s chosen to not just be a bystander but to be someone who contributes, is involved and wants to be a part of BEMA throughout his whole career.”
LeCrone will receive the award during the Chairman’s Dinner at BEMA Convention.
