Stewardship Competition Update

On January 1st, 2013 the then HR Director Jonathan Huisinga (Business Development & Special Projects) and the senior leadership team kicked off a five-year investment challenge based off the value of Stewardship. Since we have missed a few quarterly updates recently and there are a lot of fresh faces around, we thought it would be a good idea to recap the origins of this challenge and show the current standings.

Back in 2012 there was an effort to better define the intended corporate culture which resulted in LSI establishing clearly defined values: Stewardship, Trustworthiness, Innovation, Excellence and Employee Well-being. After releasing those values we engaged with our employees and collected feedback, criticisms or suggestions on each value. We then went on to pick a winner (or winners) out of the feedback and developed a corresponding prize. The winners for Stewardship were:

1. Brad Gardner (Epitopix: Production Manager)
2. Fred Lee Jr. (Select Genetics: Prairie Knoll Breeder Manager)
3. Landon Fries (Nova-Tech Engineering: Project Manager)

The summary of this challenge is as follows:

Five-year investment challenge! Three winners will be chosen from the Stewardship responses and will each be entrusted with a small capital investment ($333.33): The challenge will be to see who can make the most of the money and generate the greatest return. Can you double the money? Triple it? How far can your Stewardship carry this investment? Winners can invest this money in any way they see fit, but will be asked to account for every penny, track costs/fees/profits and provide quarterly reports to the organization and your strategy for the next five years in exchange for accepting this prize.

Now, here are the recaps and updates as of July 2017.

Brad

Brad originally got an early lead by putting his money into a regular savings account, earning a little interest, while deciding on an investment strategy. He later decided to invest in his son’s future and placed the money in a college savings plan. His money currently remains in this fund and has grown steadily to $461.49. (Though he has added other money into the account as well, he calculated out the value and growth of just the challenge funds charted below).

Date	% growth	Current Value
1/9/2014		370.93
4/9/2014	1.25	375.57
6/9/2014	1.04	379.48
10/8/2014	1.79	386.28
4/1/2015	1.85	393.43
7/1/2015	2	401.3
10/12/2015	1.75	408.32
1/1/2016	1.07	412.69
4/1/2016	1.65	419.5
7/1/2016	1.95	427.68
10/1/2016	1.87	435.68
1/1/2017	1.84	443.7
4/1/2017	2.01	452.62
7/1/2017	1.96	461.49

 

Total current asset value is: $461.49

Fred Lee Jr.

Fred started off this competition patiently waiting for the right opportunity to invest. He eventually decided to invest in something he loves – coffee, and put $180 in Starbucks stock. On 8/21/2015 he sold his Starbucks stock for $158.52 in response to seeing the stock start to drop in price (leaving him with a total of $320.91).

His son is studying to be a meteorologist so Fred has been diligently investing in his son’s education. He used the remaining amount of his money to put into paying for college. Though Fred’s balance for this competition is effectively down to zero, we’re sure his investment in his son will be well worth it in the end.

Total current asset value is: $0

Landon

Landon went with a different approach. He looked to find and refurbish/restore items and flip for a profit. He started with a lawn mower, moved on to a scooter, and just recently finished and sold the John Deere Lawn Tractor that he had purchased for $250 in Feb 2015. Landon sold the 1965 John Deere 110 for $1400; After paying all of the input costs he made about $450.

Below is a summary table he has been using, and the chart of the balance over time. Landon actually went negative and had to borrow from his wife to finish out the previous project and sell.

Date	Description	Debit	Credit	Balance
1/15/2013	Initial	NA	$333.33	$333.33
8/2/2013	Purchase/Trade for 7.25hp Mower	$125.00		$208.33
8/5/2013	Purchase parts for mower	$46.99		$161.34
9/23/2013	Trade for Honda Spree Scooter			$161.34
5/1/2014	Sold Spree		$500.00	$661.34
2/30/15	Bought 1965 JD Lawn Tractor	$250.00		$410.34
5/1/2017	Restoration of JD110	$700.00		-$289.66
6/1/2017	Sold 1965 JD 110		$1,400.00	$1,110.34

 

Total current asset value is: $1,110.34

 

 

It is great to see the diversity in strategy and the different paths that our contestants have gone down. For a direct comparison, a $333.33 investment in an S&P 500 index fund at the beginning of the competition would have brought the asset value to roughly $580.34 given an average of a 13.4% (5-year annualized return) annual increase (with dividend reinvestment). Compound interest is a powerful thing, but it looks like with a little hard work and risk, you can get ahead of the stock market!

We really appreciate you guys for running with the challenge, putting yourselves out there, and keeping up with this contest over the years. Good luck in the final stretch!

NTE June Picnic

Chef Jim Sieben (NTE President) serving up eats for one Nova-Tech’s infamous summer picnics; 180 burgers later and everyone is happy.

Beth brings on the Balloons

Beth Wosmak, LSI’s CFO and VP of Administration, enticed Life-Science Innovations employees into the break room with dilly bars and proceeded to bring us all outside to engage in what only could be described as a team building exercise in the guise of a water balloon catching contest! Naturally it evolved into a free-for-all water balloon fight in which Accounting, in particular, got to really show us their true colors.

K9s for Warriors Adventure Race in VA

Here are some photos and video from the K9s for Warriors Adventure Race that a few Eastern Division Select Genetics employees participated in last month.

Before pic shows us all before the race from left to right:  Jaden (my 10 yr old), Susan Mathias (Human Resources Strategic Business Partner), Peggy Puffenbarger (Gender Tech), Stephanie Armstrong (Benny’s wife), Benny Armstrong (Service Room Lead Supervisor).

“After showing everyone here the pics we will definitely have a BIGGER team next year!! The race is described as a 3 mile course, but we went at least another ½ mile after the 3 mile marker with a creek crossing and a final thick mud pit.” – Susan Mathias

Soccer in Virginia

Every year at least once, and possibly more if they can, some Eastern Division Select Genetics service room employees and hatch crew employees get together on a Wednesday afternoon to play soccer at the park.  So far, Benny Armstrong’s service room team has won each time… the friendly competition continues…

Pic from left to right: BACK: Employee friend, Gustavo Diodonet Pellot (Hatch Crew), employee friend, Isaias Montero Santana (General hatchery worker), Luis Colon (Maintenance); FRONT: Cesar Cabrera (Service Room Tech), Benny Armstrong (Service Room Supervisor), Jose Garcia Aponte (Hatch Crew Supervisor), Jose Chicas (Gender Tech), Chayanne Cruz Fuentes (Gender Tech).

PALS Updates:

This month PALS celebrates Sara Stuekrath’s (Invoicing Clerk) 10 year anniversary, and also the promotion for Larry Hansen from a Counter Sales Representative 2 to a Counter Sales Representative 3. Congrats to you both!

 

Congrats Marissa!

Marissa Garry, Select Genetics Veterinarian, got engaged to Troy Studniski on the 2nd!

“Won’t forget that fishing trip!”

 

 

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Tech Tips & Tricks

Brought to you from the Life-Science Innovations IT department.

If you are staring at a web page all day, you can download a google chrome extension called ‘Dark Reader’ to invert the colors on your page so that it isn’t so bright. It is surprisingly nice. 🙂

Recruiting Corner

Congratulations Jami Halliday and Bienvenidos Elva Gonzalez!

We are so happy and excited for Ag Sector Recruiting Specialist, Jami Halliday and her family on the recent birth of their new baby girl!!  Jami will be busy as a Mother of two and out on leave until the end of October, but we will continue to recruit for open positions with the help of a temporary employee.

Please help me extend a warm welcome to Elva Gonzalez, who will be assisting in the process in the meantime.  Elva and her family are in MN until late fall, as her husband is employed seasonally with a busy farmer in our area, and reside in Raymond.  They have roots in Texas, but Elva tells me she and her husband really have enjoyed living in MN because that MN NICE is absolutely true!  Elva has past experience recruiting families for migrant agricultural work opportunities in the Midwest. However, this is her first experience in the poultry industry specifically.

Hiring Managers, please do not hesitate to stop by the LSI HR Department to introduce yourselves in person or drop her an email at elva.gonzalez@life-scienceinnovations.com or call her at Jami’s number (320) 222-9810.

REMINDER:  Our Online Employment Listings are Updated Weekly!

You do not have to wait for the next update to come out to find out the positions and opportunities we have available across all of our affiliate companies. Just hop online and check out http://life-scienceinnovations.com/employment.  Each position will include a summary of the opportunity, and describe the experience and qualifications we’re ideally looking for in an applicant.  If you or someone you know is interested, please send us an email note with attached resume AND a short cover letter or a note to share with us WHY you have interest and believe you are a fit!

Openings

Current status of all organizational openings.

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Welcome New Employees

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Employee Count

As of 07/18/17 we have 2,011 employees

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Human Resources

The Human Resources/Employee Services Team specializes in benefits and payroll, compliance and policy, employee relations, legal compliance, and company & employee overall well-being. We are located on the first floor of Life-Science Innovations on the MinnWest campus at 1800 Technology Drive. We look forward to working with you!

Please message us via email at employee.services@life-scienceinnovations.com or give us a call at

320.222.9515 or 888.320.9750 extension 2515