Rogelio Escobar's #billionplus Story
posted on Monday, March 6, 2017
“Before I joined Iowa Select Farms, I kept hearing about the culture, that everyone is hard-working, that it feels like a second family, and that they’re also really competitive—on the farms and even between the farms,” said Rogelio Escobar, Sow 36 Farm Manager. “It’s been an amazing experience to see that everything I was told is absolutely true.”
This past fall, Rogelio Escobar and his wife Daphne, along with their four-year old son, Daniel, made the difficult decision to pack their bags and head for the Midwest. Their sights were set on the town of George, Iowa, where Rogelio would soon be joining the team as Farm Manager and Daphne as a part-time caretaker. “We were very comfortable in Utah, but it was time for a change,” said Rogelio, a former Assistant Manager at a sow farm owned by another pork production company. “We were ready for the next challenge in our careers and Iowa Select Farms felt like the best fit for our family.”
On December 27, 2016, Rogelio officially became the Sow 36 Farm Manager near George, but he didn’t quite realize the road that lie ahead. “I have more than 10 years of experience in this industry, so I think I was expecting I would jump right in and pick up where I left off, but I was wrong.” He chuckled, “I got here and after a week was thinking, ‘Oh, no! I am in over my head.’”
A new hometown, new co-workers, new supervisor, new farm (containing an on-site GDU, no less) and a new leadership role was a lot for Rogelio to take in all at once. “In addition to trying to get to know everyone, I was learning new production support materials and tools, new technologies, different numbers and daily responsibilities. Mark and Kaci have been so sincere and kind with my training and are helping make this transition as smooth as possible.”
He’s referring to Kaci Pohlman, Sow 33 Farm Manager and Mark Lee, the Sow 36 Supervisor who are helping Rogelio during his training period. “As his supervisor, it excites me to see how much passion and knowledge Rogelio has for this business,” said Mark. “He really knows great animal care and pork production, everything else that is unique to Iowa Select Farms he is steadily learning. There isn’t a manager or employee that comes from another production company who doesn’t go through this. We’re really lucky to have him on our team. With the leadership team we now have in place, this farm is going to do great things.”
After working in a variety of roles from Department Head and Onboarding Trainer to Assistant Farm Manager and Safety Committee Liaison, Rogelio brings with him a tremendous wealth of pork production knowledge to Iowa Select Farms, pairing nicely with the existing team’s proven record of accomplishment.
In fact, Sow 36 ranked first in 2016’s Q4 SelectPride production standings and they continue to hold the first place spot in this year’s weekly production rankings.
And Mark isn’t the only one extremely optimistic about the future of Sow 36. “Everyone at this farm is motivated to succeed and they do a great job of pushing one another,” noted a visibly excited Rogelio. “I want to do the best I can for them as their manager so they can succeed—this is my contribution to the #billionplus journey. Looking back this has been a very smooth transition thanks to all of the help everyone has given this farm and I am so grateful for the opportunity.” #billionplus
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