People Care Council-Brian
posted on Thursday, January 12, 2023
"When I was little, I loved helping around the farm, and I distinctly remember staying home from school to help with the harvest,” said Brian Appelgate, a semi-truck driver for Iowa Select Farms and member of the People Care Council. “The more I helped, the more I got to work with the big equipment. It was a “bucket list” thing to get in the seat of the semi-truck.”
Brian says he raised his hand to be a member of the People Care Council to help represent the transportation department and build bridges between other company areas.
“We have a good group of drivers here,” said Brian. “I enjoy the comradery, and we all get along well, which you need to have in transportation. It’s not uncommon to work together at 3:00 a.m. to get trucks up and going so we can get pigs moving. We help each other out, which I appreciate about working here. We get the job done, and it takes all of us.”
Brian says that as the Latino workforce grows, the People Care Council aims to help build relationships and support events and programs that welcome everyone.
“As part of the transport team, I’ve helped train new employees, which has helped give me insight into what new employees when they start with us, to see through their eyes what the onboarding and training experience is like,” said Brian. “I’m trying to pick up pieces of Spanish, too.” Something he says is coming along slowly but is willing to try.”
Brian says the most significant accomplishment of the People Care Council has been hosting the regional events, which were put in place to close gaps between the regions and employees simply through food and fun activities.
“It’s amazing to see what we can accomplish when we just come together for some fellowship,” said Brian.
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