Meet Katey Bittner, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
Foremost Farms is proud to be a leader in the dairy manufacturing industry. A major contributor to our success is a workforce of skilled employees dedicated to producing the best products for our customers. That all starts with an experienced team tasked with recruiting the best candidates for all departments in the cooperative. Among them is Katey Bittner, a Senior Specialist in Foremost Farms’ Talent Acquisition department. Katey’s work ensures all employees from plant positions to corporate leaders are the right fit for Foremost Farms.
Please describe some highlights of your role within Foremost Farms:
As part of Foremost Farms’ Talent Acquisition team, I manage the full-cycle recruitment process for our Appleton facilities and corporate headquarters.
I collaborate closely with hiring managers to assess staffing needs, create job postings, source and attract top talent, conduct interviews and guide candidates through the entire hiring process.
Additionally, I oversee the cooperative’s summer internship program, which brings in young talent to offer fresh perspectives, create learning opportunities and build a strong pipeline of future candidates.
In December, I will celebrate my six-year anniversary with Foremost Farms!
What is your favorite thing about working at Foremost Farms?
What stands out most to me are the relationships and partnerships I’ve developed during my time at Foremost Farms. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with managers and leaders across various departments. I enjoy working closely with them to understand their needs and the dynamics of their teams so I can help identify the right talent to support their goals.
How is Talent Acquisition different from general recruitment?
Talent acquisition is typically more strategic and proactive than traditional recruitment. While recruitment focuses on filling immediate job openings, Talent acquisition takes a long-term approach to identifying top talent, building relationships with potential candidates, creating a talent pipeline and positioning the company as an attractive employer.
How does Talent Acquisition help shape a company’s culture?
Talent Acquisition plays a pivotal role in shaping company culture as we are often the first point of contact for potential employees. Our responsibility extends beyond assessing whether candidates have the necessary skills for open roles. We also focus on ensuring they align with our company values and culture. Ultimately, our goal is to find candidates who are a good fit for Foremost Farms while also ensuring that Foremost Farms is the right fit for them.
What sets Foremost Farms’ internship program apart from others?
We offer interns the chance to collaborate, network and gain a deeper understanding of Foremost Farms as a cooperative through a variety of engaging summer events and projects. These include a farm visit and plant tour, lunch-and-learns with Foremost Farms leaders, a pizza bake with our cheese technology team and a product sampling day. A final presentation day allows interns to showcase their individual accomplishments from the summer.
These projects and events are designed to equip interns with valuable skills and insights to help them thrive in the business world. We’ve also been fortunate to hire several Foremost Farms interns as full-time employees after graduation