WAUPUN, Wis. — East Central/Select Sires, based in Waupun and serving southern Wisconsin, held their annual employee awards banquet on Saturday, June 24, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza, Madison. Eric Gudex, Oakfield, defended his title as member service representative (MSR) of the year, with Jeremy Konen, Mazomanie, as runner-up. Eric Westphal, Byron, was awarded area sales manager (ASM) of the year, with Brad Fossum, Lodi, recognized as runner-up.
The honorable outstanding-effort awards were presented to Kurt Barnes, Kiel, MSR; Ken Elliott, Marshall, relief ASM; and Barb Bohnert, Waupun, executive assistant.
Alan Deming, Waupun, long-time East Central/Select Sires general manager, is retiring the end of July and was honored for his outstanding contribution to the success of the cooperative. “I want to thank East Central/Select Sires employees and members for all you’ve done to make my career a very enjoyable time,” noted Deming. “Together we’ve accomplished a great deal, and the best is yet to come. This organization has a very bright future and is filled with outstanding employees to make sure that happens.”
Exceptional achievement awards were presented to MSRs as follows. Gudex was honored for personal total service volume, area total service volume, area direct-herd and insemination/direct-herd unit volume, area total unit volume, and area contribution; Ryan Besaw, Omro, personal total service percent increase; John Buske, Mayville, area total service percent increase; and Bruce Von Ruden, Viroqua, area direct-herd and insemination/direct-herd percent increase and area total unit percent increase. Bill Daentl, Portage, was honored for personal diversified product dollar percent increase and Howie Minnema, Fond du Lac, for accounts receivable. Rod Alton, Monroe, was recognized for personal diversified product dollar volume; Kevin Farnsworth, Deerfield, for semen blend; and Ryan O’Leary, Madison, for semen blend percent increase.
One MSR/MSR team in each region was recognized for top honors: Gudex, region A; Gary Fredrick, Mayville, region B; Mohammed Touir, Madison, region C; Konen, region D; Matt Staner, Potosi, region E; Bob Radke, Bangor, region F; and Ken Nehls, Horicon, and Jon Westphal, Eldorado, large herd specialists. The beef achievement award was presented to Norm Bradley, Fort Atkinson.
Eric Gudex, Oakfield, with his wife, Heidi, defended his title as member service representative (MSR) of the year at the June 24, 2017, East Central/Select Sires Employee Awards Banquet.Individual ASM awards were bestowed upon four employees. Westphal was recognized for personal total unit volume, accounts receivable, and area diversified product dollar volume. Fossum took home awards for area direct-herd unit volume, area total unit volume, and area diversified product dollar percent increase. The final awards in this category went to Kevin Cox, Sparta, for area direct-herd unit percent increase and area total unit percent increase and Ben Sarbacker, Edgerton, for personal total unit percent increase.
East Central/Select Sires has consistent longevity among our employee staff, and several were honored for their years of service at the banquet: Cox, Frank Blahnik, Cuba City, and Farnsworth, 35 years; Bryan Witt, Browntown, 30 years; Barnes, Dan Potterton, Mineral Point, Kim Smith, Waupun, and Dan Reilly, LaValle, 25 years; Kitty Richter, Waupun, 20 years; Phil Dieter, Middleton, 15 years; Daentl and Westphal, 10 years; and Brian Kelroy, DeForest, Katherin Parsons, Portage, Richmond Beckard, Fort Atkinson, Touir, Dennis Gunst, Hartford, and Elliott, five years.
In addition to Barnes and Dave Hahn, Fond du Lac, being recognized for exceeding 175,000 first services, 22 MSR employees were awarded for achieving additional milestones in lifetime first services. Winners included: Witt, Gudex, and Aaron McMillan, Oshkosh, 100,000 services; Dennis Meyer, Waupun, Besaw, Parsons, Staner, and Jon Westphal, 50,000; and Daentl, Eric Bierman, Livingston, Touir, Nehls, and Shannon Sauer, Berlin, 40,000. The list went on to include Scott Nelson, South Wayne, Jim Suddeth, Stoughton, and Travis Hartman, Madison, 30,000; and Buske, Don Bahr, Platteville, O’Leary, Beckard, and Nick Fischer, Germantown, 20,000. Jay Ludeman, Lake Mills, was recognized for 750,000 semen units sold.
East Central/Select Sires is a professional-, artificial-breeding cooperative serving dairy and livestock producers in southern Wisconsin. As a member owner of Select Sires located near Plain City, Ohio, East Central/Select Sires helps make up the largest A.I. cooperative in the world. They provide highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve the basic objective of supplying livestock breeders with America’s best genetics at a reasonable price.
— East Central/Select Sires
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