Survey: Best Mentors | Millers Credit Those Who Helped Develop Their Careers

“Chris Caplinger was the mill superintendent in Atchison, KS during my internship. He always took the time to teach me and walk me through certain decisions and he still does. He’s a very talented miller. After I began working full time for Bunge, he was always the first one I would call when I had an issue. Every time I needed help, he took the time to answer my questions regardless of how busy he was. I am extremely grateful for everything he has taught me and continues to be an example of a great leader that I look up to.

“Eric Woodrow was the plant manager at Crete, NE during my time there. Similar to Chris, he always took the time to teach me. Eric never gave me the easy way out. He would ask me to explain my decision on projects or mill changes and helped me to understand the importance of learning describe projects and technical details in ways a lay person could understand. Eric helped me to look at the big picture and see how seemingly small decisions impacted the business.”

“One of the best mentors I’ve had since graduating college is Aaron Rusteberg, the plant manager of our St. Louis, MO flour mill. He answered all my questions no matter how many times I asked, and if you know me, you know I ask a lot of questions. He showed me how to run a facility the best way he knew how – the safe way – with family as the sole focus.

“The milling industry brings new struggles each day, but Aaron took each opportunity to explain how he would approach the issue and how he determined it would need to be resolved. To this day, I call Aaron when I need guidance, advice, or encouragement, and he answers every call. He has helped me become the leader I am today.

“Ross Droogsma is one of our regional technology managers. There are no stupid questions in Ross Droogsma’s book of milling. He has guided me in my everyday milling mindset, to drive home continuous improvement, and overall process improvement. He has a way of explaining ideas and concepts that are easy to understand and takes the time to make sure we’re on the same page. More importantly Ross, like Aaron and many other managers at ADM, drives home safety and family as the key reasons we do what we do everyday. We do it right, or we don’t do it at all.

“Joe Woodard is one of our regional operations managers. He was instrumental to me in my early years of becoming a manager. He has provided countless opportunities for me to grow as a miller, leader, and individual. Joe showed me the importance of picking up the shovel, being the driver of safety, and being a force for change at our mills. Lastly, Joe takes every moment he has to encourage and empower me as a woman in a male-dominated field, as a leader everyday, and a future plant manager.”

“Scott Brooks, plant manager for ADM Milling in St. Louis, MO, first hired me as an hourly plant utility worker. Later, he hired me as a warehouse supervisor. He taught me a lot about milling operations. I had an animal science degree, but he brought me into the flour milling industry. Scott gave me information freely. If not for him, I probably wouldn’t be working in the industry.

“James Harper was commercial manager for ADM Milling in St. Louis. We worked together closely. He showed me the whole business, particularly the customer relationship side of the job. He was competitive and pushed me hard. It was unspoken that we want to be c the c best in the industry, so I always work hard.

“My current boss, Joe Woodward, is the regional manager for ADM Milling. He answers any questions I have about operations management. Joe has 42 years of experience in the industry, and he shares that experience with me often. Joe has an open-door policy, and he’ll drop what he’s doing to talk to me.”

“Bob Ruckman was the plant manager at Grain Craft when I came to the milling side of the business. I didn’t know the business, but he gave me the opportunity to step from bulk team lead and showed me the ropes. We went through the mill, and he gave me information about the equipment and showed me what goes into milling. He fed a desire in me with his openness to share information, and that continues today. Bob’s still my plant manager, and he’s a good sounding board for ideas.

“Wade Blalock is the vice president of operations for Grain Craft. We worked together when he was director of milling. Whenever he came in, we’d talk milling. Wade helped drive and build my knowledge base. He would always ask questions and challenge me on my answers. He’s a wealth of information. We’d go through the mill together and discuss what we saw. He helped me develop as a person and miller.”

“Chip Knappen, former president and CEO of Knappen Milling, gave me my start and showed me the ropes and how things work. When I started, he had me spend time in each department to learn the business from the ground up.

“Don and Ford Mennel were very helpful, great mentors. Don was president of Mennel Milling, and Ford is Don’s son, who later became president. They both really helped me and were great to bounce ideas off. The biggest thing was they were willing to listen if I had problems or situations where I needed advice. The Mennels were great sounding boards and are part of the larger milling community that’s been very helpful in solving problems, including suppliers. I’d go to national meetings and meet new people, and everyone was really helpful. I still keep in touch with the Mennels.

“The overall milling community has some wonderful people in it. They have concern not just for their respective businesses but also to the milling industry as a whole. I have found people in the milling industry very helpful to anyone just starting out in the business.”

“Peter Kubosch was the plant manager at a feed mill in Wiesbaden, Germany where I did a three-year apprenticeship, which is typical in Germany. He was my boss during that time. Peter had a lot of trust in me and let me do what I needed to do to grow and learn in my journey.

“He always took the time to talk to anyone who needed help. Near the end of my apprenticeship, he asked me what I wanted to do next. I told him I wanted to be a miller, and he told me he didn’t want me. I was shocked. He told me I had more potential than others, so I should move on and get my education, and if I wanted to come back at that point, I was welcome. That’s why I’m in the United States. He cared more about my future than he did for his own future at that time. I still keep in touch and I buy him lunch or a beer whenever I go back to Germany.

“My mentor at Bühler, Walter Eugster, was the head of milling technology when he hired me right out of milling school. I was transferred to Minneapolis, and every time I traveled with him, he was thinking out of the box. He taught me there’s always a better solution to a problem, the importance of listening to customers to best solve their problems, and to not just try to sell them something. Often, we identified problems customers didn’t even know they had.

“Daisuke Ito was director of engineering at Miller Milling before he returned to Japan earlier this year. He is the hardest-working and most dedicated person I’ve ever met, not just in his work life but in his personal life. He taught me to always focus on the best possible outcome and work toward it, whether it was teaching young millers or making sushi together – always look for the best outcome. I always try to live up to his standards.”

From Fourth Quarter 2021 Milling Journal