Ron Contaxis is NCA’s 2015 Volunteer of the Year Award Winner. “This year’s Volunteer of the Year recipient was nominated because of his enthusiasm, his dedication, his willingness to step up and take on any task that needs doing,” said Bruce Goldsmith, Chairman of the NCA Board and President, Baronet Coffee, Inc., at the NCA 2015 Annual Convention in Charleston, S.C. on March 13, 2015.
“His can-do spirit, the way he rolls up his sleeves and plunges in is an example for all of us.”
Contaxis’ dedication is legendary within the Association
He helped galvanize the NCA’s Coffee Gives Back initiative. Starting with the first event in 2011, planting trees in post-Katrina New Orleans, Contaxis has been a fixture at every Day of Service since. He even travelled to New York City to support NCA’s local outreach at a New York City food bank after Superstorm Sandy devastated parts of the area in 2012.
“Ron’s enthusiasm, energy, and commitment to NCA’s mission is astounding,” says Bill Murray, NCA President and CEO. “I personally appreciate having had access to his counsel and support since I’ve arrived here at NCA.”
But Contaxis, vice president of sales, Wilbur Curtis Company, claims that he doesn’t deserve all the credit.
“It’s all about the people,” Contaxis told the NCA in an interview after officially receiving the 2015 NCA Volunteer of the Year Award. “I want to say ‘thank you’ to the Wilbur Curtis Company — without them, nothing will get done.”
When Contaxis joined the NCA after 10 years in the industry, he was immediately struck by the “civility” and community he found among NCA members. He decided that he needed to get involved.
Now a 20-year NCA member, with 30 years in the coffee trade, he has more passion for coffee and the NCA than at any time in his career.
“There was something than more than just coffee,” he remembers. “It’s a really a special organization. People helping each other because of their love for coffee.
Going forward, Contaxis strives to expand the NCA’s village. As a veteran of the NCA Board of Directors, he says that the organization has been “working on being inclusive [versus exclusive]. We’ve taken huge steps, and we’re not done yet.”
As the NCA continues to evolve, Contaxis remains a passionate advocate for “education, education, education.”
More learning opportunities will benefit both NCA members and the coffee industry as a whole.
“In this business, we have wonderful opportunities to learn from each other,” he says. “The education [we’ve received through the NCA] has been invaluable.”
