Justin Ames

Through my time with the company I started out as a fertilizer operator. Tasks included loading and unloading tender trucks with dry and liquid fertilizers as needed. In December of 2021 I transitioned into the role of grain and fertilizer truck driver delivering grain and fertilizer to and from locations, end users, and customers. In September of 2023 I once again transitioned into a new role as an Operations Management Associate for one of the locations. I was the point contact who handled day to day operations and management decisions. At this time is when I started taking leadership management classes with the company and expanding my knowledge and skill set. In June of 2024 is when i transitioned into my final role of the Operations Supervisor of a location which is the second in command. Duties and roles were overseeing the location and taking on day to day operations to free up the Location Leader to manage more than just one location. During my tenure I was enrolled in the Leadership Development courses that the company offered and was doing great things and learning more about the business aspects of the company.

• Maintained open lines of communication with upper management to provide regular updates on operational progress and challenges faced by the team.
• Managed daily operations for optimal performance, ensuring smooth workflows and timely completion of tasks.
• Enhanced team productivity by providing ongoing training, coaching, and mentoring to staff members.
• Ensured compliance with company policies, industry regulations, safety standards, and local laws during daily operations.
• Led continuous improvement initiatives aimed at reducing waste, increasing efficiency, and enhancing overall productivity levels within the organization.
• Reduced employee turnover by fostering a positive work environment and addressing employee concerns promptly.
• Conducted regular performance evaluations for direct reports, identifying areas for improvement and setting development goals accordingly.

During my tenure with this company I had switched roles multiple times as well. I started out as a temporary employee contracted for work and eventually hired on full time. At that time i was an oil press operator and then started learning more of the location and became the refinery operator who would process the oils to food grade standards. I then took over the Soy Protein division and then became the Overnight Team Leader. I was the manager on site who was the point person for the night employees and would work with the location manager and COO for any performance issues or location needs. I took a small sabbatical from employment to pursue other options and when i came back i took on the utility operator position which would run multiple divisions of the company and aspects of the facility. This is a crush facility that processes multiple different oilseeds from corn, soy, almond, and other specialty products as called for.

Was a utility operator for the finishing line department after i learned multiple stations of the finishing line which included loading the doors on to the conveyor and processing the top control which would pneumatically bring the doors over and run then down the line to the sander, then to the paint line, through the oven and then out to the quality control division.

At this facility i was also utilized as a utility operator who would work the box fill stations, run the bagging and palletizing of the seed, and operate the forklift working on the inventory management of the seed. My main duties were working in the warehouse on the forklift organizing and sorting as the boxes and pallets came off their lines and then in between would stage the next days orders so they were all ready to go to be loaded in the morning.