Rob Shuey Joins Certified Angus Beef Board

Rob Shuey can’t help but walk through the meat department of every grocery store he enters. After working 41 years for IBP, Inc. (Iowa Beef Processors), and Tyson Foods, Inc. (Tyson bought IBP in 2001), his work knowledge and personal interests have converged. 

Eyeballing merchandising techniques for new and innovative products, he owes it to his tenure in the beef and pork business. It started when the Ohio farm boy moved west to attend Oklahoma State University (OSU). Once he got to Stillwater, he quickly got involved with the meat and livestock judging teams, while working part time at the OSU Meats Laboratory. 

“It was a natural progression that led me to interview for an IBP internship the summer before my senior year,” Shuey says. “I spent the summer in Dakota City, Neb., at the corporate office. An incredible opportunity!”  

After college graduation with a degree in animal science, he packed up and headed to Emporia, Kan., to work in the IBP processing plant in carcass merchandising where he learned more about grading and meat quality.  

He got to know the brand closely when he managed Certified Angus Beef (CAB) pricing and sales for IBP. 

“As a company, we initially struggled with selling [the Certified Angus Beef ® brand] at the volume we had envisioned,” Shuey says. “We didn’t know how to effectively sell or merchandise it.” 

At the time CAB supply was increasing; both companies had work to do. IBP had to reevaluate it’s pricing and sales and marketing strategies, while CAB needed to grow customer and consumer demand.

His solution was different than most at the time. After many brainstorming sessions between IBP and CAB, they found a way to be more competitively priced which ultimately sold more product.

“We put the emphasis on selling more product to existing customers,” Shuey says. “And it worked.” 

More CAB was sold, generating more revenue which helped each business grow. The success cultivated strong relationships between Shuey and CAB. His perspective on mutual success made him a great partner throughout his career. 

“Sometimes you don’t win simultaneously,” says John Stika, CAB president. “But over the long haul, his strategy is for everybody to win by creating more value for everyone. Rob always understood that.” 

Retired now, Shuey recently added another item to his resume when he accepted the industry representative appointment on the CAB Board. 

“I’m in,” was his response to a call from Stika.

A packer on board 
The right person for the job shares the same values as the brand and aligns with its mission to serve registered Angus producers, Stika says. 

While the industry representative is a three-year appointment, the last two who held the position served multiple terms. The late Bob Norton, a CAB-licensed packer early on with the brand and owner of Biozyme, served 12 years. Then Kip Palmer, Palmer Food Services CEO, provided guidance for 12 years. Palmer served during a time when the brand was working on better understanding the needs of its licensed end users. His foodservice knowledge was especially valuable during COVID, Stika says. 

Shuey’s background provides a unique perspective to a board of Angus ranchers, especially as the industry is working through challenges from tight beef supply. 

“The packer is our biggest partner and biggest competitor,” Stika says, adding to the timeliness to bringing Shuey on. 

He knows the product and understands sales and how CAB partners view the brand. This extends internationally, given he retired from Tyson as the senior vice president of international fresh meats, lending him a global perspective for CAB’s licensed partners. 

“It’s important for the industry to understand the entire supply chain and each other’s piece of it,” Shuey says. “I want to better understand the production sector, and while I’m learning that I can help them understand the packer and processer perspective.” 

History with the brand 
He’s an avid reader of the Angus Journal and keeps up with genetic trends across multiple breeds. Every day he catches up on industry news—live cattle prices, feeder cattle supply, supply dynamics worldwide.

“It’s a matter of me wanting to stay involved in the business,” he says. “That’s mostly indirectly, so I just continue to read and have conversations.” 

Now, he’s looking forward to getting back to his roots and working alongside cattle producers—another nod that he’s right for the role.  

“I love the production side of the business,” he says. “So, the more I can get to know the guys and gals out there on the farms, ranches and feedyards, the better.” 

His first board meeting was in Wooster, Ohio, at the CAB office in December 2024, which brought back memories of his ties to the brand. When he lived in Columbus, he would sometimes shop the Renzetti’s IGA market where the original pound of CAB was sold. He remembers when he worked the ring during the Colvin Scholarship auction at Annual Conference. Or the times he volunteered as a National Junior Angus Show CAB Cook-Off Contest judge years ago. 

“That’s how far I go back with CAB and that’s why I love the brand so much,” Shuey says. “I just think there’s a great story behind it and a great story to tell.”

As for Shuey’s time with the board, he is ready to listen. 

“We have to continue to keep our eyes and ears open,” he says. “We can’t get set in our ways. We have to listen. We have to be really good listeners, communicators and innovators.” 

From his first introduction to the brand, the goal is the same: continue to grow the Angus breed—from the ranch to the consumer.