SelectPride- Q4 and Overall Finishing Winners
posted on Sunday, February 26, 2017
“Here is someone who started as a finishing technician, worked his way up to manager and then was promoted again to a finishing supervisor,” said Allen Whiley, Director of Finishing. “He’s the perfect example of someone who has stayed dedicated to improving, worked hard and put forth a lot of effort to get to the top.”
Allen is talking about Dan Roth, finishing supervisor in our western Iowa region who took home the bragging rights of being the top SelectPride finishing supervisor for 2016.
To determine the rankings, each quarter the results of finishing performance metrics (marketing, mortality and site visits) are calculated and then the outcomes of other important components such as production well-being audits are applied. The result is a “production + caretaker index” for all supervisors. Those results determine the top ten SelectPride ranking of finishing supervisors, with Dan landing in the #1 spot for 2016.
“I use all of the resources made available to me,” said Dan. “I think it’s a culmination of hard work, having really good farm managers and using all of the tools that we have for marketing.”
Currently, Dan oversees 78,000 spaces, five contracted growers and four full-time employees. “I make sure to visit with my team weekly,” said Dan. “Communication is important and a big factor in the success of a barn, I’m lucky to work with the group of guys that I do. I trust them to get the job done and I think they would say that I have their best interests at heart. If they need something, I get it to them as quickly as possible. If they need help, I’m right there beside them in the barn.”
“Dan uses a well-thought out marketing plan that he puts together with the help of his support team,” said Bob Webb, Dan’s senior supervisor. Each week, finishing supervisors receive a report that summarizes how long pigs have been on feed and how much feed had been delivered to the sites. Based on that data, they use specific calculations and formulas to make decisions about marketing. Once they have an idea of their marketing numbers, they meticulously walk the barn and try to identify the perfect 280-pound market hog.
“From herd health to movements and feed, he makes sure to utilize all of the available tools at this disposal,” said Bob. “He has a well-trained eye and takes his time to find the correct market pigs. All of that combined with his years of experience makes him a tough guy to beat.”
Landing in the number two spot was Doug Keninger, a central Iowa finishing supervisor. “Doug is also a great marketer, he knows exactly what indicators on growth and feed consumption to watch for and does a tremendous job of preparing and executing,” said Tim Hermsen, Doug’s supervisor.
Allen echoed Tim’s comments on Doug, and added that Kevin Archer (3rd place), Loren Pudenz (6th place), Tom Boge (7th place) are all seasoned supervisors who are always ranked at the top of the list. “These are the supervisors we use to help develop and train our newer supervisors, and they are always willing to help their peers get better,” said Allen.
“Kevin took on several employee-managed sites this year,” added Tim. “Part of being a good supervisor is the ability to be a great coach and know where to put your people. Kevin is an example of a good team builder and does a good job of rotating his employees around to cover the workload fluctuations.”
Mike Lindaman, an eastern Iowa finishing supervisor ended in the #4 spot for 2016. “Mike’s one of our most steadfast supervisors,” said Allen. “The only time we hear from him is when he’s going on vacation or really in a bind, like the time he blew a flat tire and needed a hand, or was called on to round up a lost market pig in the middle of the night,” laughed Allen. “But all joking aside, Mike is the perfect example of a quiet leader—he comes to work without much fanfare and does his job very well.”
“Then we have Chad Shultz (5th place) and Chris Smith (9th place) who worked almost their entire careers in the sow system and said ‘yes’ when asked if they wanted to take on a new challenge,” said Allen. “Both were able to use their previous experience to their advantage, and have helped others in finishing better streamline the transition of our pigs from sow farms to nurseries and wean-to-finish sites.”
Alex Blomquist—a former intern who accepted a full time job as a Junior Finishing Supervisor before earning a spot on a the supervisor team—landed in 8th place. “He’s one of our young guns,” said Allen. “He showed us early on he was ready and willing to take on more challenges, and he’s done a really good job of learning quickly and earning the respect of his team.”
Rounding out the list is Jason Payson, a western Iowa finishing supervisor who earned the 10th place. “Two years ago Jason came to me and told me he really wanted to make the top ten list,” said Allen. “I know he and Bob (Jason’s supervisor) have worked really hard on key areas of development and it’s really paid off,” said Allen.
“This group of guys are dedicated to performing at the highest level possible,” said Bob. “Their consistency week after week is tremendous and it’s no surprise that they’ve landed in the top ten overall this year. They should be very proud of their accomplishments and contributions, I’m looking forward to seeing what they are going to do this year.”
“I’m really proud of this group of individuals who were recognized, and to their teams of managers and technicians,” said Allen. “The whole finishing team did a great job accomplishing the billion pound goal, it was truly a company achievement.”
Congratulations to the Q4 SelectPride Winners and 2016 Overall Finishing Winners!
2016 Overall Finishing
1st Place—Dan Roth
2nd Place—Doug Keninger
3rd Place—Kevin Archer
4th Place—Mike Lindaman
5th Place—Chad Schultz
6th Place—Loren Pudenz
7th Place—Tom Boge
8th Place—Alex Blomquist
9th Place—Chris Smith
10th Place—Jason Paysen
Q4 2016 Finishing
1st Place—Dan Roth
2nd Place—Chad Schultz
3rd Place—Doug Keninger
4th Place—Mike Lindaman
5th Place—Tom Boge
6th Place—Kevin Archer
7th Place—John Wessels
8th Place—Alex Blomquist
9th Place—Chris Smith
10th Place—Trever Willems
Subscribe to our newsletter: Get fresh articles delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe