MEET THE APPLETON MAINTANENCE TEAM
Meet the Maintenance Team at Foremost Farm’s Appleton Plant, recent recipients of the Udder Excellence Operational Optimizer Award. The team tackled a complex challenge and achieved exceptional results by relocating the plant’s chemical room to a centralized first-floor space.
The project required a full teardown, complete redesign, and repiping of 12 chemical lines— significantly enhancing safety, streamlining maintenance, and delivering substantial savings on chemical costs.
Appleton Maintenance Team Members: Brandon Lau, Brandon Seidl, Brian Wiggins, Chad Dedering, Christopher Evans, Eric Gerndt, Ethan Matecki, Kurt Schodorf, Philip Vande Voort, Preston Lorenz, Thaddeus Koeller, and Troy Holzer.
Maintenance Manager, Kara Fisher shares what makes this team stand out and why they earned the award.
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH FOREMOST FARMS? HOW LONG HAVE YOU SERVED AS THE LEADER OF THIS TEAM?
I’ve been with Foremost Farms for 16 years, 15 of which have been spent working with this team. I started as a Parts Associate and have since grown into my current role as Maintenance Manager.
PLEASE DESCRIBE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR TEAM’S ROLE AT FOREMOST FARMS.
Our Maintenance team is truly unique with each technician having a different set of skills that they excel in, including welders, an electrician, valve specialist, pump specialist, fabricator, and programming/plc. The team fully owned this project, working together to transform the chemical room into a clean, well-organized, and thoughtfully designed space.
YOUR TEAM WAS AWARDED THE OPERATIONAL OPTIMIZER AWARD AS PART OF THE 2025 UDDER EXCELLENCE AWARDS. WHAT DOES THIS RECOGNITION MEAN TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM?
Receiving the Operational Optimizer Award really is the definition of our team. Taking ownership of operational efficiency and streamlining processes is how we operate day to day.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO TRANSFORM UNUSED SPACE INTO A FUNCTIONAL, VALUABLE ASSET FOR THE PLANT?
Turning an underutilized space into something safer and functional was an easy decision for the team. Once the opportunity was identified, everyone dug in and made it happen.
WHAT ROLE DID TEAMWORK PLAY IN COMPLETING SUCH AN EXTENSIVE PROJECT?
Teamwork was everything. From demolition to design, layout, and installation, the group came together, planned the work and executed it step by step. Everyone has a role and everyone contributed to the final result.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FINISHED CHEMICAL ROOM TODAY?
I am most proud of how clean, organized and professional the space is now – it’s a true reflection of the team’s pride in their work.