ORLANDO, Fla. (August 5, 2024) – The ANNIKA Foundation – golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sörenstam’s charitable organization – is announcing the addition of Joseph N. Bier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Richards Manufacturing Company, to its board of directors.
Under Bier’s leadership, Richards manufactures and sells gas and electric utility products to utilities throughout North America and South America. The Irvington, N.J.-based company employs approximately 750 people. Bier has been instrumental in leading the company, which has a strong reputation for innovation and quality in the sector.
Throughout his career, Bier has contributed to several patents, including those for enclosures for submersible network protectors, socket assemblies for cable joints, and gas meter assemblies. His leadership and technical knowledge have helped Richards Manufacturing maintain its position as a leader in the industry.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Joe to our board,” Annika said. “He has demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment, and service throughout his career, and we look forward to his contributions to help advance our Foundation’s mission.”
In addition to his professional work, Bier has served on a variety of Boards. He is a past board member of The Valerie Fund, which raises funds to fight childhood cancer. He also is a national trustee of The Foundation Fighting Blindness, which raises money to cure retinal degenerative diseases. Bier also served as the Chairman of the Board of Golda Och Academy from 2010 to 2012. Golda Och Academy is a private school, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with approximately 550 students. Additionally, Bier is a board member of Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston, N.J.), as well as the current president of the board of The Greenwich Lane in New York City.
“I’m humbled to join the ANNIKA Foundation board of directors and to support in the mission to develop, empower and advance young women around the world through golf and in life,” Bier said. “I have admired Annika’s incredible career and leadership on and off the course over the years. I look forward to working more closely with her and the others to further extend the Foundation’s global impact.”
The ANNIKA Foundation annually conducts several “Share My Passion” grassroots clinics designed to introduce young girls to the game. It also conducts seven major golf events for aspiring junior girls: the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex in the U.S.; CDW Girls Junior All-Star Championship in the U.S.; SERI PAK & ANNIKA Invitational Asia in Korea; ANNIKA Invitational Europe and ANNIKA Cup in Sweden; the Women’s Amateur Latin America with the R&A in Peru; and the ANNIKA Invitational Australasia in New Zealand.
Since 2014, the foundation has annually hosted the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, a premier women’s college tournament featuring 12 top Division I schools. It wll conduct the new More Than Golf Invitational at Old Barnwell for Mid-Major Conference champions, starting in 2025. Moreover, with the support of the Haskins Foundation, the foundation created the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, which is given annually to the best female collegiate golfer.
In 2022, the ANNIKA Development Program was created to support recent college graduates pursue their dreams of playing professional golf. Benefits of this three-year program include full access to Old Barnwell, a spectacular new mission-focused private club in South Carolina, financial assistance, mentorship sessions from Annika and housing in the first year. The ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour was launched for young professionals in 2024 to create a pathway to the Epson Tour and LPGA Tour. The foundation also is the main beneficiary of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, a top-tier LPGA Tour event. A bi-monthly More Than Golf Virtual Series was introduced in 2024 and covers a wide range of topics to further personal and life development for female junior, collegiate and young professional golfers.
For more information, please visit www.annikafoundation.org.
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