Foremost Farms Circle of Excellence Winners have been selected from nominations made by their coworkers and leaders to recognize their great work and demonstrating Foremost Farms’ Four Core Values: One Team, Force for Good, Work with Integrity, Take Care of Our World. Learn more about them!*
ONE TEAM
Daniel D. Fokema, Ethan E. Kelley, Gary L. Stennett, Zachary E. Johnson, Michael R. Rand, Bradley R. Lusk, Daniel G. Buol, Brian E. Sommers, Derek D. Crocker – Cross-functional Team
The plant management team and operators worked together to review and update SOPs to document processes correctly, including screen shots, photos of flow panels and other content that will improve efficiency and help new hires understand their roles more easily.
TAKE CARE OF OUR WORLD
Kaylee R. Olund – Marshfield, Supervisor, Quality Control
Nominated by: Kathryn L. Tuchalski
Foremost Farms utilizes yearly internal laboratory auditing to ensure our plant laboratories are i Safe Quality Food (SQF) compliant. Kaylee volunteered to take on the audits for the remainder of 2025 which was pivotal in ensuring the plants don’t receive a non-conformance during their SQF audits. Kaylee showed her commitment to Foremost Farms “One Team” by embracing this opportunity while continuing to complete her regular duties.
WORK WITH INTEGRITY
Heidi L. Pierce, Kathryn A. Braden, Shawnee J. Sandberg, Pamela J. Riesterer, Heather A. Teasdale-Stowell, Mary Jo Schoonover, Tara M. Baker, Christine L. Patch – Plant Operations Associates
Nominated by: Shawn R. Lee
Our team of plant associates across our plants are truly amazing. On top of their busy jobs, they commonly assist our IT team to diagnose and troubleshoot issues on a daily basis. We recently “deputized” them as Plant/IT Liaisons and provided them with same tools, training, and communication channels that the Service Desk uses to resolve support issues. Empowered with these capabilities, they have elevated the level of IT support and have become true IT advocates at the plants. We are appreciative of their work and dedication and want to recognize them all for jobs extremely well done.
FORCE FOR GOOD
Benjamin A. Miller, Charles P. Coogan, Joshua C. Mendez, Jason M. Schmidt – Cross Functional Team
Nominated by: Kelsey S. Garrigan
The team analyzed data at the Appleton facility, using applied manufacturing centerline techniques and cause-and-effect analysis to drive improvement. Through dedicated efforts, efficiency improved significantly, yielding operational benefits and removing waste within our manufacturing processes.
*Excerpts of original nominations, edited for length and content. Foremost Farms employees may read full nominations on Main Street, the cooperative’s employee intranet.