Why I Believe in IAOM ... Stephen Doyle, King Milling Co.

Stephen Doyle

Vice President

King Milling Co.

Lowell, MI

IAOM Member Since 1986

“Back in Michigan, flour milling has been in my family’s DNA for nearly 120 years when my great-grandfather purchased stock in King Milling Co. For decades, our company has been involved with IAOM.

Flour milling and IAOM are synonymous with each other, and gathering together once a year to network and learn simply is part of what we do, because IAOM is our industry’s association.

“Over the past 30 years, I’ve been involved with countless improvements and capacity increases at our single site.

We could not have done this without the help of IAOM providing a centralized network of knowledge and experience from millers and the allied trades.

Whether an Active member or Associate member, we have a great history of sharing best practices for training, safety, food safety, and countless other aspects of our business.

“As past president of IAOM, my theme last year was ‘Education is the Key,’ because it’s estimated that 50% of the milling workforce in the United States and other parts of the world will be retiring in the next 10 to 15 years.

Over the last year and a half, IAOM has been bolstering its educational offerings in response to our industry’s needs. For example, we implemented a one-year Milling Technician Certificate program with Cowley Community College in Arkansas City, KS.

“The program is for college credit and is delivered via distance learning, making this a new tool for milling education throughout the world. The program is followed by a 250-hour internship in a flour mill.

“IAOM also has developed a 450-page textbook, Fundamentals of Flour Milling, to accompany the certificate program, and the correspondence course in milling consists of eight units that are now offered in three languages: English, Spanish, and Arabic.

“To manage the always-evolving milling process, we cannot accomplish this alone, and IAOM is here to help. And when I say IAOM, I don’t simply mean a central office in Kansas City – I’m referring to each of us taking an active role in furthering the aims of our profession and association.”

From First Quarter MILLING JOURNAL 2019