Congratulations to Isaiah and His Team of Growers on Their Recent SelectPride Success!
posted on Thursday, July 18, 2019
“When it comes to kicking it into gear, this group of guys has really done it,” said Bob Webb, senior finishing supervisor. “Isaiah showed great leadership and helped get them to the top, but it took a lot of hard work from everyone to get there.”
Congratulations to Isaiah and his team of growers on their recent SelectPride success! They tied with Trenton Myers’ team for the quarter one first place spot and to celebrate, we all gathered at Pizza Ranch in Iowa Falls earlier this summer.
“Like me, the managers I work with are young. The majority have less than five years of experience,” explained Isaiah. “But they are very hard workers, are willing to listen and learn, give good input and are great communicators. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to work with.”
Isaiah’s team consists of Brad Young, Brant Friest, Carlos Alarcon, Daniel Hornung, Edgar Guzman, Jeff Jeske, Jeremy Welch, Ricardo Torres, Scott Ridout and Seth Last. Between the ten of them, the group oversees 23 wean-to-finish farms. 
“All of my managers are motivated to learn and adapt new practices,” continued Isaiah. “They worked really hard and finally achieved the goal that we push for every quarter—to be the best.”
After interning with Iowa Select Farms in 2016, Isaiah joined the company full-time in 2017 as a finishing supervisor; however, his passion for swine started much earlier. Growing up in Maui, Hawaii, Isaiah’s family owned Happy Hula Farms, a 180 sow farrow-to-finish operation. When he was ten, his family moved to Zearing, Iowa, where pork production was much more common and affordable. After graduating from high school, he went onto Kirkwood Community College to pursue a degree in swine production.
“I’ve always loved being around pigs,” he said. “Watching them grow from ten pounds to market weight is very rewarding. You see your hard work pay off right in front of your eyes.”
Although he’s been around pigs for most of his life, there were still things Isaiah struggled with as a new employee. From learning how to operate barn controllers and managing a large team, to knowing what his day should look like when he does a farm visit and how to communicate goals, Isaiah has learned a lot from senior finishing supervisors Tom Boge, Kevin Archer, Bob Webb and Loren Pudenz, who recently retired.
“Isaiah is a pretty chill guy and easy to work with,” said Kevin. “For being so young, he exhibits a really strong work ethic. He does a great job staying on top of things and making sure his farms always have the necessary supplies to succeed.”
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Whether it was learning how to set a daily schedule, properly identifying sick animals, providing treatments or keeping proper records, everything just “clicked” for Isaiah and his team of growers.
“They’ve all caught on really fast, which is nice for us old guys to see,” laughed Kevin. “But I think it’s because they were all so eager to learn and succeed. They’ve done a great job and really deserve this win.”
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Congratulations to Isaiah, Brad, Brant, Carlos, Daniel, Edgar, Jeff, Jeremy, Ricardo, Scott and Seth on your recent SelectPride success. Keep up the great work!
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