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Southeast Ginner Of The Year
Ben Evans, outgoing president of the Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association, is pictured with Billy Sickler and his wife, Erica. had a lot going on over the years: raising two girls, running and growing the gin and becoming owners of a pet crematory. His latest role is being a grandpa. He is known as “Grumpy” as he’s called by his two young grandchildren. Congratulations to Billy Sickler — the Southeast Ginner of the Year.
Cotton Ginners Marketplace
“Billy Sickler, the Southeast Ginner of the Year, didn’t grow up in the gin business like so many of our previous recipients have,” said Ben Evans, outgoing president of the Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association. “He was actually born in Kentucky and moved to Alabama in high school.” Following high school, Sickler enlisted in the Army and after a short time in the service, he came home to Alabama. Needing a job, Sickler went to the manager of a local gin and asked. That organization had just opened a second location, and he was hired as a “yard man.” Sickler’s work ethic and problem solving impressed the gin manager and, the very next season, he became the assistant manager. His previous boss said he had “never met someone with the work ethic and drive to learn” that Sickler has. After experiencing some highs and some lows (3,800 bales), closing one gin and then building an entirely new operation, Sickler became the general manager. The organization he runs is now one of the largest in the state, ginning more than 62,000 bales this year in short order. Billy Sickler, general manager of the Associated Cotton Growers Coop in Athens, Alabama, and his wife, Erica, have
20 COTTON FARMING | APRIL 2025
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