posted on Friday, October 19, 2018
“Loren never shied away from helping others, even if it meant hours of extra work,” said Allen Whiley, director of grow-finish. “You’d never hear him talk about his own accomplishments because those didn’t matter to him. He just wanted to help the team.”
For the past 18 years, Loren Pudenz has been a quiet leader at Iowa Select Farms. He’s a supervisor, most recently managing nine farm managers at 30 finishing farms. To most of the company he’s recognized for his expertise and performance in marketing fat hogs. But for the members of his finishing team, he’s most known for his work ethic and the impact he’s made while training and mentoring many young supervisors and managers.
Today is Loren’s last day at Iowa Select Farms. He and his wife, Sharon, are moving to Texas to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren.
“Loren is as good as they come,” said longtime co-worker and senior finishing supervisor, Bob Webb. “He’s reliable, responsible, very well-known for his abilities and to top it all off—a lot of fun to be around. He’ll be missed by all of us.”
A native of Odebolt, livestock farming has always been in Loren’s blood.
“My family raised cattle, pigs, corn and soybeans,” he said. “I grew up with eight sisters and three brothers, yet there was always something to be done. I always enjoyed working with the pigs so pursued it full-time. I feel lucky to have found a job that I enjoy so much.”
“I don’t know of anyone in the entire industry that achieved the results that Loren did for execution in marketing,” said Noel Williams, chief operating officer. “He was a mainstay in our top five quarterly SelectPride finishing performance awards and won many times. Loren exemplified excellent performance, and spent a lot of his time helping members of his team get better.”
One of those young supervisors was Mike Lindaman.
“I was lucky to have worked with Loren,” said Mike. “If something needed to be done, he was always the first to roll up his sleeves and get to work.”
In addition to Mike, Loren spent countless hours working alongside other managers and junior finishing supervisors to teach them about pig care, site upkeep and marketing techniques.
Putting others above himself. That was Loren’s way.
“I’ve always enjoyed the challenges of this job,” said Loren. “No matter where I am, I always learn something new. I’ll miss this.
"It hit me the other day when I was going through my phone and realized most of my contacts are co-workers,” he smirked. "I’ve made many good friends throughout the years. We’ve got the best team around.
“Working for this company has been rewarding,” continued Loren. “I wear company clothing almost everywhere I go, and that’s because I take pride in working here. We care for our people, our communities and our pigs. You better believe that I’m going to be wearing my Iowa Select Farms gear in Texas—just maybe not the sweatshirts.”
Thanks for 18 years of dedication, improvement and growth, Loren. Like you said, it sure has been a ride! We wish you and your family nothing but the best.
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