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Bill Griffeth
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
William A. (Bill) Griffeth was born in Cushing, Okla. in 1940. Bill was raised on his family dairy farm, the Griffeth Dairy, where he developed his initial passion for the agricultural industry. As a young person, he channeled this passion for agriculture into being a 4-H and FFA member, where he realized that the long hours of milking cows, and taking care of other family livestock—including beef cattle, hogs, and chickens—would pay off, specifically on the Cushing FFA livestock judging team.
Griffeth enrolled at Oklahoma State University in 1958, where he majored in Animal Science. While at OSU, Griffeth was a member of the 1961 champion livestock judging team, which won the International Livestock Judging Contest in Chicago.
In 1962, upon graduating from OSU, Griffeth reached a pivotal point in life—earning his first job. Griffeth was hired by Wilson Packing Company as a hog buyer, where he coupled his knowledge of sound livestock, learned at home, with this new endeavor, where he learned the industry side of livestock marketing, to reach the conclusion that livestock marketing was the career path for him.
He then took another key step: moving to the Oklahoma National Stockyards, where he met his wife of 56 years, Karen. He also met another very important person, Tom Gilliam, who has grown to play a major role in Griffeth’s business endeavors.
In 1970, Gilliam and Griffeth started an order buying business. Gilliam and Griffeth cultivated this business, until 1987, when they expanded to purchasing Stockman Livestock Marketing and Order Buying and Stockman Livestock Commission Company. The two made another leap of faith in 1988, and, with the help of Karen and Gilliam’s wife Reta, purchased the market at Apache, Okla.
Today, Griffeth and Gilliam can reflect on several successful business ventures, which have withstood the test of time. Griffeth’s son, Greg, even followed in his father’s footsteps as a cattle marketer, first as an auctioneer at the Oklahoma National Stockyards, and then growing into a major role in Stockman-Oklahoma Livestock Marketing. Greg also, alongside Bob Rodenberger, manages the Apache market, which is still a thriving and competitive market.
Griffeth has built a life which has brought many new endeavors, memories, and learning experiences. Through it all, he has been supported by Karen and their three children, Kim, Greg, and Shelley, as well as his six grandchildren. Each is enormously proud of their husband, father, or grandfather and the legacy he has left for them. They truly believe that he embodies the purest forms of leadership and hard-work.
If Griffeth could do it over again, he wouldn’t change a thing. It has been a wonderful life working in the auction market business, while serving rural American. Griffeth is beyond honored to be receiving this award amongst these other outstanding individuals.