UNIOPOLIS — Sunrise Cooperative Inc. hosted a Sunrise FFA Career Day on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at its Uniopolis facility in Uniopolis, Ohio. The event was attended by 72 junior and senior FFA students from Anna, Botkins, Indian Lake, Minster, St. Marys, Upper Scioto Valley-OHP, Wapakoneta and Waynesfield-Goshen local high schools.
The career day was designed to give students an opportunity to interact with employees and learn about different careers within the cooperative. Each of the four divisions, agronomy, energy, feed and grain at Sunrise were represented.
“Sunrise is a strong supporter of the FFA Association, and we were glad to have these students visit our Uniopolis facility,” said Morgan Niedermier, vice president of marketing at Sunrise. “We are growing the future of agriculture together through our career day. The FFA has some of the best leaders in the agriculture industry and we were glad to share career opportunities with them, as well as give them a tour of our state-of-the-art facility.”
The Sunrise grain division was represented by Chris Hager, merchandising assistant and Skylr Timbrook, operations. The grain session educated students on the importance and purpose of the grain industry as well as detailing a personal experience of a high school FFA students’ path from graduation to a full-time position at Sunrise.
Representing the feed division was Mark Roeth, vice president of feed; Jamie Dues, swine services specialist; and Ella King, FSA dairy specialist. These three individuals spoke about the career paths they’ve taken in the livestock industry, along with outlining the importance of their positions with our producers.
The Sunrise energy division was represented by Jason Kamann, vice president of energy, and Dakota Hankins, service crew leader. In this session students learned about oil scans and took part in an antifreeze demonstration, while also discussing that your career paths can take many directions and Sunrise offers opportunities to help out in multiple divisions.
Representing agronomy were Phil Altstaetter, crop nutrient manager; Don Bailey,truck driver; Brad Angle, custom applicator; and Matt Etgen, seed treatment. Each of these individuals shared about their current positions, a seed treatment demonstration was given, as well as an overall discussion on the benefits of being employed by Sunrise Cooperative.
Students were left with five key takeaways:
1. Find a mentor.
2. Set some personal goals.
3. Develop your network.
4. Become an expert.
5. Get a hobby.
Sunrise Cooperative Inc. is a leading agricultural and energy cooperative located in Ohio. It offers agronomy, energy, feed, grain and precision products and services to help with day to day operations for farms, homes or businesses. The team-based approach to customer service gives you access to a full range of knowledge and expertise within the cooperative. Its investment in people, and facilities, allows them to provide the best solutions for member-owners. For more information visit www.sunriseco-op.com.
