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Welcome to our AGRI-SEARCH Newsletter!
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud & flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater." Isaiah 55:10

Meet Our New Intern Jennie Thompson

 

Jennie Thompson was born and raised on a small family farm near Arcola, Illinois. She is currently a senior at the University of Illinois, pursuing a major in Agricultural Communications and minoring in both Leadership Studies and Food and Environmental Systems. During her time at the University of Illinois, Jennie has been involved with the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and the professional agricultural sorority, Sigma Alpha.

Jennie joined the AGRI-SEARCH team at the beginning of 2020 as our student Intern. She will work remotely through the school year and will be in our office during the summer of 2020, working behind the scenes with members of our staff.

During her time in college, she has been able to develop her passion for agriculture. Coming from an agricultural background, Jennie understands the importance of effective communication and hopes to become a liaison between members of the agriculture community and the general public.

We are thankful to have Jennie on our AGRI-SEARCH team!

Happy New Year –
A Fresh Beginning or a Stressful Start?

 
Dave Allen
President, AGRI-SEARCH

A new year offers each of us a fresh beginning with no mistakes.  It’s a time to start implementing new dreams and goals.  But as a friend and business owner once shared, "January 1 can be the scariest day of the year.  Sales and revenue numbers equal zero, and you wonder how we’ll ever reach our goals for the coming year."

What about on the personal side? Suppose you have team members whose bank accounts don’t say zero…but are actually in the red from overspending at Christmas or for a variety of other reasons. Entering a new year can bring them extended financial stress and perhaps relational stress on how to deal with personal finance, spending, or debt issues.  These issues can often impact negatively not only their home life but also their ability to perform their job well.  So, what can you do to help?

Perhaps your company can offer tools or host a class for team members to help them win with finances.  I’ve known businesses who have offered classes for their teams, such as Financial Peace University or MoneyLife, purchased personal finance resources for the company library, or brought in local experts to lead sessions on family spending plans, paying for college, getting out of debt, or other topics relevant to your team. This investment may be more valuable than a pay raise if new habits are learned that promote smart money management, help alleviate stress, and promote job performance excellence for your team members.  For other ways to deal with stress in the workplace, see "The Stress Test" found elsewhere in this newsletter.

 

Current Open Career Opportunities

 
At AGRI-SEARCH, our staff is committed to bringing top-tier talent to our clients. Open positions change daily, but the need for quality people is constant in every successful business.

Highlighted below are some of our current open positions we are assisting our clients with. If interested in having us assist you in landing talent for one of your positions, or if one of these opportunities looks attractive to you or someone you know, please contact us.
3824 General Manager

  • Multi enterprise cooperative is seeking a General Manager. Facilities are current. Rolling stock new. Company is profitable. Current GM is retiring.

6189 Farm Assistant - Central Missouri

  • A reputable and growing family farm in central Missouri is seeking a hardworking, self-driven Farm Assistant to join their team.

5696 Senior Grain Buyer - Eastern U.S.

  • Highly respected, animal feed company is seeking a Senior Grain Buyer for their Eastern Region.

6188 Operations Manager - Northern Illinois

  • Successful northern Illinois company is seeking a self-motivated leader who will be responsible for working with team members at all of their grain facilities to maximize operational efficiencies, grain quality, safety, and maintenance program effectiveness.

6186 Dairy CEO - Wisconsin

  • Well respected, multi-location, high performing dairy company is seeking a CEO to lead the ongoing success and growth of their dairy operations.

5701 Logistics Manager - Northern Illinois

  • Successful and well-respected agricultural company in northern Illinois is seeking a Logistics Manager to take the lead in managing logistics needs for multiple locations

8016 Flour Marketing & Sales Representative - Midwest
  • Midwest-based flour miller is searching for a Flour Marketing and Sales Representative to support their expanding business.

 
We have excellent opportunities for candidates interested in operational roles. We have multiple locations in the Midwest for Custom Operations and on-the-farm labor. Candidates need a valid Driver’s License, excellent attitude and the ability to operate large agricultural machinery. These roles compensate you well and many have good benefits.
 

Featured Recruiter
Jim Fleming

 

New Month - New Year - New Decade

January 1st ushered in a new month, a new year, and a new decade. It is hard for me to believe that we are now in the year 2020 and entering the third decade of the millennium. It seems like only yesterday, that we were fretting over Y2K and how our computers and other electronic devices would react when we rolled in to 2000. As I recall, nothing crashed, and we continued right along without a glitch.

Recently, I was at the mall in Champaign, IL., and discovered the former Bergner’s store was being demolished. As I looked at the demolition, I was instantly transported back to the summer of 1978. I was in the FFA and I was attending my first state FFA convention. During a break, my advisor would take us to different places to eat and one of those was the restaurant overlooking the mall on the second floor of Bergner’s. I thoroughly enjoyed the overlook and watching the people below. It was a learning experience for me as it was one of the first "nice" restaurants I had been in. As I looked at the rubble of the former store, I realized how much has changed since then. The restaurant closed years ago and changes in buying and shopping habits lead to Bergner’s going out of business.

Change is inevitable. We all experience change. What is important is how we embrace it. We can choose to dwell in the past or we can choose to meet change head on and see it as an opportunity. Over this next decade, all of us will experience change. Kids will grow up. Relationships may change. You may leave a job to take a new one. A new company may buy your place of employment. You might relocate to a new geography. Technology may change your job. Consumer habits may change the crops we grow and the foods we consume. Minor changes could be a new computer operating system. New terms to learn. Goals to achieve. New friends and new partners. New places of worship. Change occurs daily. 

It is easy to dwell in the past. I challenge you and I challenge myself to embrace the future and meet the changes head on with gratefulness in our hearts. Look to the sunrise and each day ask yourself "What can I do to help someone today? This is what we do here at AGRI-SEARCH. We get to help people find new jobs and help companies fill roles with quality people. It is an honor for us. What can we do for you?
 

The Stress Test

 
Countless articles have addressed one of the most important tasks given to senior leadership within any organization: the ability to identify the next generation of future leaders within the firm. We look for passionate individuals who wake up each day craving success, but who can channel that passion into actions and results. We seek out creative thinkers who are intensely curious, identifying those who naturally crave answers and alternative ways of approaching problems. The trait of true grit is valued within an organization; we respect those who have the strength to learn why they failed, what to do in the future to succeed, and the willpower to get back on the horse and try again.

In our research on the topic, we discovered another crucial attribute as it relates to identifying future leaders: the stress test. Great leaders always seem to have the ability, at least outwardly facing, to remain calm during situations that make most of the general population fall to pieces.

 

Connecting Quality People to
Quality Companies is Our Passion

 
Our job as professional recruiters is to identify, attract, evaluate, and help our clients land top talent for their team.   We are constantly working with quality individuals who are positioned for growth in their career and are open to or actively seeking to make a change.

If your team is seeking talent to make a positive difference in your ability to serve your customers, reach out to us and see if it is something we can assist you with.

Talented Candidates

Listed below are just a sampling of the talented candidates we have evaluated recently. If you would like to learn more about these or other candidates we have available, please contact us.
Agronomy Location Manager. Retail operations experience. Oversees inventory, forecasting, freight. Expert at improving efficiencies. Prefers East Central Illinois.
Agronomy Sales Professional. Has seed sales experience. Seeking to relocate to Northeast Illinois.
Grain Merchandisers, Originators and Traders who are diversely talented, passionate and looking for new challenges.
Grain Construction / Maintenance / Capital Projects Manager – rare talent in the grain handling and processing industry.  Prefers to locate in northeastern Illinois.
General Managers and CEO's looking to lead their next challenge.
Project Manager is seeking an opportunity in the St. Louis area to expand technical, marketing, and sales skillset.  
Professional Sales Leader is looking for a managerial opportunity with the ability to travel across Dakotas and Western U.S.

Growing our Team with
People Passionate about Helping People

 

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we "are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams."

If you are competitive; have a strong sales mentality and don’t mind being told no; love connecting with and helping people; have a strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, banking, equipment, or other areas and would enjoy the challenges of a recruiting career, contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you.

About AGRI-SEARCH

 
Founded in 1995, AGRI-SEARCH is a professional recruiting firm providing clients with customized recruiting solutions in various niches within the agricultural industry. Our success results from our industry focus, our specialized approach to recruiting, and our staff's lifelong roots in, dedication to, and vast understanding and knowledge of the agricultural industry.
agri-search.com | 217-543-2505
 
 
 
 
 

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