Western Cowgirl by haileykennedy

WESTERN COWGIRL WOMEN OF THE WEST Bringing the color and grit of women into focus

B uck i n g the trends

COWGIRLS IN STYLE By: Hailey Kennedy

n the most unlikely of places lied seven livestock sale yards on California’s central coast. Brewing in the heart of these was one of the most dominant of sale yards to come. 93 miles south of San Francisco in the town of Aromas, Jim Warren, an Iowa native, turned a rundown building in 1975 into the 101 Livestock Market. Quality would be the driving factor for the sales yard’s success to come. Warren, the owner of 101 Livestock Market, said come 1991 he had transformed the facility into one of the most modern markets in the western United States. “We started in an old, junk building, and we moved to improve the exterior to start with, and we got a lot of the outside rebuilt before 1990,” Warren said. “Then, in 1991, we built prob-

ably the most modern marketing facility in the western half of the United States.”

Warren did not accomplish this alone, however. With the help of a longtime friend and partner since 1967, Monty Avery helped Warren build the sales yard one post hole at a time. Warren recognizes Avery as one of his greatest assets. Together they would go on to create one of the most well-regarded sales yards in California. Avery said they spent many long nights building the pens from the ground up, transforming it into a successful product.

Photos courtesy of Unsplash user Taylor Brandon a Creative Commons license.

“There were only just a few pens here, and we built it up,” Avery said. “We built pens every night until midnight, welding. Now we have a couple thousand head a week during the runs.” They agreed that three things took pre-cedence when developing their facility: safety of the employees, humane transportation of livestock and the best feed and water they could provide for the animals while they were there.

Western Cowgirl Magazine

www.WesternCowgirl.com

COWGIRLS IN MOTION By: Hailey Kennedy

arren said that this was not his award but an award for the whole facility and everyone who worked to assure proper han-dling of the animals. “It wasn’t just one person’s or one livestock, it was everybody’s award because everybody here put so much effort into handling the cattle correctly and providing the best cattle we can that end up leaving our place heading to the consumer,” Warren said. With success came hardships, and in this industry, they came from all different angles. From employees and buyers steal-ing money to the constant money and effort needed to upkeep and expand the facility, the hardships came in numbers. With all that they put into keeping the sales yard running at its highest, cattle, on occasion, do not bring that much, causing them to buy back cattle or sell them for less and lose money. The biggest challenge, though, has remained getting people to bring cattle to this modernized area. “You know, I think the hardest thing is to have the one of the most modern best facilities right here on the west coast and have to really work hard to get people to bring you their cat-tle,” Warren stated. “You know, that’s the biggest challenge.” Despite the challenges Warren and Avery continue to push through. As they move forward Warren tries to live up to his dad’s advice when it comes to his partnership. “My dad always said if you have a partner makes sure he always gets the long end of every stick and you will have them for a long time,” Warren stated. “Then, along came the video,” Warren said. Photos courtesy of Unsplash user Taylor Brandon a Creative Commons license. “The video said, ‘Look, we will sell only your straight loads of steers or heifers or the best cows you’ve got.’ And so, a lot of the people that did have maybe four or 500 cows started putting some of those cattle on the video because they didn’t have to haul them to the sales yard.” -Hailey Kennedy

“The world for cowgirls is full of oppurtunies thanks to the girls that sacrificed themselves before us”

Western Cowgirl Magazine

www.WesternCowgirl.com

INSIDER LOOK AT LEADERSHIP ROLES FOR WOMEN

By: Linda Verba ne of the advancements in women’s rights that we celebrate during Women’s History Month is the freedom to work in any field, and the ability to pursue leadership roles within the companies we work. It’s a very different story from the 1970s, when women worked in limited fields and earned significantly less than men. While we still have barriers in equal earnings, we do have control over where we choose to grow professionally. It’s important to find the company that is the best fit for you and provides work-life balance. What if your child is sick – do they allow you to work from home? What if you don’t want to take off on President’s Day – is paid time off a general pool, or is it divided into vacation/sick/holiday time? The company that encourages women to become leaders with support and materials is the company that will help you achieve your leadership goals. I chair the TD Women in Leadership initiative at TD Bank, and our goal is to increase representation of women at senior levels by expanding leadership oppor-

tunities for women. We offer, for example, a great mentoring program for women across the TD Bank footprint. This year, we’re planning to expand it by implementing one-on-one mentoring for high-potential women.

Photos courtesy of Unsplash user Taylor Brandon a Creative Commons license.

Choosing a company that fosters that kind of growth for women will not only groom you to rise to leadership at that company, but it will provide personal and professional development.A good healthcare plan and vacation time are great, but benefits that help you

Western Cowgirl Magazine

www.WesternCowgirl.com

achieve a work-life balance contribute to overall workplace happiness, too. Life happens. Our kids bring home stomach viruses that take down the whole house. That’s why you should inquire with potential employers about workfrom-home policies. Before you begin your job – and company – search, consider creating a list that includes not just what you want in your next position, but what it is you’re looking for from your next move. According to a new survey from Edward Jones, “Female Financial Empowerment,”while women have made significant strides in gender and income equality in the workplace, one of the biggest obstacles they continue to face is the tendency to “prioritize immediate family needs” over saving for their own future. That certainly helps explain what the financial services firm acknowledges is an inherent conflict in the findings: Although seven out of 10 women polled say they feel “confident” in their financial knowledge, all too many have actually done little to generate their own long-term wealth. “Only 25 percent of women surveyed consider saving for retirement as their most important goal over the next three to five years,” says Nela Richardson, an investment strategist at Edward Jones.

COMPETETIVE EDGE

CORKILLS HORSE SIDELINED

“Having Champ sidelined is a huge loss. It’s

hard to remember not having him in the trailer, so it’s a big blow. I love that horse, and he’s done a great job for me. Champ owes me nothing. But I hope and pray he will be back”

-Jade Corkill Jamie Arviso

Western Cowgirl Magazine