Our Employees Help Others

posted on Wednesday, December 1, 2021

As a family-owned company based in the heart of Homegrown Iowa communities, we understand the importance of family at Iowa Select Farms. From the crews on our sow farms to the teams in our offices, the people we work with easily become so much more than just co-workers. We count on them to do their part and if the going gets tough, we can also count on them to help others– just like in a family.

Given this family atmosphere, it makes sense that another major theme from our Awesome Box nominations was helping others. A whopping 229 of the nominations recognized their co-workers for being helpful.

For example, when describing Virgil, the manager of Brooks GDU, one of his co-workers said, “I think of him as a mentor. He was kind and patient in teaching me all the things that make a farm productive from the small details to big ones.”

And the praise didn’t stop there. His co-worker continued, saying, “Anytime I had a question or a problem (which happened a lot), he always made the time to talk about it or lend a helping hand. When someone starts a new job, having someone like Virgil to lead the way means so very much.”

Another awesome employee given a shout out for their willingness to help others is Rod, a finishing supervisor.

Someone he works with said, "Rod is a very hard worker and is always willing to help out. He is very patient at explaining answers to questions and willing to teach and talk through problems in the barn. He always lends a hand without a single complaint.”

Helping graphic

Being willing to answer questions (both big and small) and teaching co-workers how to solve problems is an important part of what it means to help and invest in others. Zach from the ventilation and filtration team was nominated by three different co-workers, and each of them attested to his focus on teaching others.

One co-worker said, “Zach is always there to help anyone. He helps me all the time on day-to-day things. Whenever I need something or have a question, he is there. He taught me a lot of what I know about air filtration.”

Another co-worker agreed, saying, “He is always willing to give a helping hand with any project and helps by explaining any situation you come across. He will help you learn what to look at and why. He's detailed on how he explains things to help you actually understand what's happening.”

We could go on and on about all the nominations that mentioned helping others, but this one about Brian, Director of Maintenance and Environmental Services, sums up what’s at the heart of this theme pretty well.

“Brian is a very good boss. He is always there when I need him and always has good advice for me when I need it,” said one of his co-workers. “When I was new to the position, he took a lot of time to make sure I was settled in and getting everything figured out. He’d drop anything to help anyone.”

And sometimes, that’s what family is all about: dropping anything to help anyone else. So, to our employees who do all they can to help those around them, thank you for embodying one of the traits that makes our employees awesome. You are all essential parts of the Iowa Select Farms family!