WASHINGTON – At its recent annual convention, the National Turkey Federation (NTF) presented Walter “Gator” Pelletier with the NTF Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Gator’s contributions extend beyond Butterball — he has been a respected leader across the industry, fostering relationships and championing policies that benefit turkey producers nationwide,” said Leslee Oden, president and chief executive officer for NTF. “His influence on live operations, workforce development and biosecurity measures has been instrumental in ensuring the success and resilience of our sector.”

The award was presented to Pelletier by Jay Jandrain, CEO of Butterball.

Pelletier advanced best practices in animal welfare, production efficiency and industry collaboration during his decades in the business. After earning a degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University, Pelletier worked at Milliken & Company before moving into the agriculture sector.  

He then joined Goldsboro Milling in 1981, eventually taking over as the turkey breeder lead and meat bird operations. After Goldsboro acquired part of Butterball in 2006, he became responsible for the company’s North Carolina turkey operation and eventually oversaw Butterball’s live operations nationwide until retiring last year.

Pelletier also held the role of president of Goldsboro Milling since 2014 and continues to be a member of Butterball’s board of directors.  

Other professional accolades for Pelletier included serving as NTF chair in 2009 when he presented the National Thanksgiving Turkey to President Obama at the White House.