Hessel Kielstra, an owner & CEO of Vyefield Enterprises was recently selected as Top CEO of the Decade for 2020 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). 

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While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only 1 CEO is selected for this distinction. Mr. Kielstra is being recognized for this honor for dedicating over 40 years as an expert in the business world and agricultural industry. He was just honored at IAOTP’s Annual Awards Gala at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, for his selection as the Male Visionary of the Year Award 2020 and Mr. Kielstra was inducted into the exclusive Hall of Fame. He will be honored at IAOTP’s Annual Awards Gala being held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City at the end of this year for this distinction. www.iaotp.com/award-gala

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As a seasoned international business leader and trusted CEO, Mr. Kielstra has a strong reputation and offers a wide range of expertise and experience in the business community. Hessel has certainly proven himself as an accomplished professional and expert in entrepreneurship, marketing, business management and development. He has demonstrated success not only in the business world and agricultural industry, but he has helped food businesses grow especially within the poultry and bakery sectors with an emphasis on clean label healthy food.

Originally from the Netherlands, Hessel graduated from Trinity Western University in 1970 and completed his studies at the University of British Columbia in Psychology & Political Science in 1972. Since the age of 18, he has led the family business, Vyefield Enterprises. This is a multi-faceted private company owned and managed by the Kielstra family. Vyefield’s corporate head office is located in Calgary, Alberta.

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Having tremendous foresight as a seasoned expert in many fields, Mr. Kielstra’s efforts in community outreach are remarkable. In 2019 he was appointed to the board of Partners Worldwide. It is a Christian organization that is dedicated to reducing poverty around the globe by investing into local people, allowing them to set up small businesses in their own community. It gives these people business training along with funds. Its client base is 73.3% female. It truly helps poverty-stricken people and gives them self-esteem which allows many of them to rise above poverty not for a day or two but for a lifetime. It fills them with the gift of hope and well-being.  He has also been appointed as a member at large for North America to the board of Calvin Theological Seminary in 2019. It is a prestigious seminary based in Grand Rapids Michigan, and it serves students from 27 different countries. He considers it a real honor to be able to serve on this board.

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Throughout his renowned career, Hessel has been active in his community which includes two terms as an alderman for the city of Abbotsford, when he was in his late twenties. He is recognized worldwide for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the Business Industry. He has received many awards, accolades’ and has been featured in publications and magazines.  For 2019, Mr. Kielstra was an invited guest on TIP International Radio for his selection as Male Visionary of the Year for 2020 by IAOTP and was featured on the famous Reuters building in Times Square. For 2018, he graced the front cover of TIP (Top Industry Professionals) Magazine, was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Business Innovator of the Year and inducted into the Million Dollar Diamond Club of IAOTP.   For 2017, he was named Top CEO of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals and Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year by Who’s Who. He sits on numerous boards, is the President of several private companies, and in 2016 completed being chair of the board of Dordt University in Iowa which has about 1500 students. The Wall street Journal ranked Dordt University as #1 in the nation for student engagement for 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 out of 1,111 colleges and universities, “It was a real honor and privilege to be a participant in the outstanding leadership team at the University.” In 2019 the Kielstra Family was instrumental in the establishing the “Dordt University Kielstra Center for Research and Scholarship”.  We are looking forward to seeing how this Research Center will be a blessing and be beneficial to the faculty and students at Dordt University

Looking back at his life’s journey, Hessel attributes his success to Alice, his wonderful loving wife of over forty years, and his family, to his many extraordinary experiences, his work ethic. His Christian faith and the gifted mentors he has had along the way have also greatly shaped him into the person he is today. He believes you must be passionate in all your endeavors. He is at his best, if he is creating and/or innovating new concepts or ideas with a vision for the future.  Hessel says he has been blessed, he loves doing what he is doing, and has visions of great things still on the horizon. To get the most out of life he feels we must have a very positive attitude at all times along with lot of gratitude. He also says that life is all about faith, hope, and love as described by the ancient biblical apostle Paul in first Corinthians 13. In our present divisive society, we must make a choice by choosing to love and care for one another and lead as loving, caring and compassionate servant leaders.

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When he is not working Hessel enjoys traveling, dining, being with friends, spending time with family and taking advantage of life’s opportunistic moments. For the future, Hessel will continue to help influence others in their business ventures and serve as a mentor to other entrepreneurs and hopes to continue making a difference in people’s lives anyway that he can. 

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For more information on Hessel please visit: http://www.vyefieldenterprises.ca/

www.hesselkielstra.com