Alltech will honor its late founder Dr. Pearse Lyons with the presentation of two awards during ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18), held May 20–22 in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Alltech Medal of Excellence, Alltech’s highest distinction, will be awarded to Dr. Lyons for his work as a visionary scientist and innovator. Additionally, Dr. Lyons will be recognized with the Alltech Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic spirit.
Past recipients of the Alltech Medal of Excellence, awarded annually to someone of great accomplishment and leadership, include former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Norman Borlaug, father of “the Green Revolution.”
As an entrepreneur and a tireless innovator, Dr. Lyons utilized his scientific expertise in yeast fermentation and his acute business sense to introduce natural ingredients to animal feed. In the past 10 years alone, his scientific achievements have been listed in more than 300 patents.
Because of Dr. Lyons’ unique ability to look beyond the status quo, he saw opportunities to elevate and refine innovations that only lingered on the periphery of the industry. With each breakthrough, a host of new ideas and opportunities emerged, all of which were united by Alltech’s founding ACE principle, a charge for the company’s work to have a positive impact on the animal, consumer and environment.
A world-class communicator with a propensity for personal connection, Dr. Lyons brought people and ideas of all backgrounds together to collaborate on solutions for some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges, including mycotoxins in animal feed, the environmental impact of mineral over-supplementation and how to feed a growing global population.
The Alltech Humanitarian Award, which has previously been awarded to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari, is bestowed annually to someone of strong character who uses their platform to positively influence and inspire those around them. For Dr. and Mrs. Lyons, making a difference in the world by empowering others has been an everyday reality of their personal and professional lives.
Whether through small acts of kindness or far-reaching scientific achievement, Dr. Lyons was committed to empowering others, inspiring lifelong learning and making a difference in the world.
In addition to the awards presentation, the ONE18 conference will include a celebration of life in remembrance of Dr. Lyons.
