thing new every day and to apply the creativity and talent of our people to make products that are safe and reliable, in facilities that are safe and reliable. WHAT DO LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT THE CARGILL FORT DODGE FACILITY The people! The Cargill team in Fort Dodge is really special – the culture here is very team-oriented, process honoring, and focused on continuous improvement and pursuit of excellence in everything we do. I am very proud of our team and the many dedicated teammates I get to work with every day. I also love the variety in what I do on a daily basis. I like to
Sydney Pokorny
spend time in the plant, seeing the new projects or automa-
Fort Dodge Facility Manager
tion we are working on or talking with employees or contractors about how we can make work safer and easier. I enjoy
BEFORE TAKING OVER THE ROLE OF THE FACILITY
interacting with community leaders about how Cargill can
MANAGER IN FORT DODGE, WHAT DID YOU DO?
serve and give back to the community or about potential
I joined Cargill in January 2007 as a production engineer at
growth projects we are considering, and with other leaders
the Cargill Blair, Neb. corn milling facility. I’ve held several
across Cargill or industry to share best practices around safe-
roles in engineering and operations and had the opportunity
ty, sustainability, and other important issues.
to lead various operations teams across Cargill, from Cargill’s Health and Nutrition business to Ethanol, Wastewater
WHAT SKILLS DO YOU FEEL ARE MOST CRITICAL TO
Treatment, and the Mill at our Blair facility. I have a passion
SUCCEEDING IN MANUFACTURING TODAY?
for driving continuous improvement in our operations; I am
Flexibility, willingness to learn, valuing and working well
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified and working towards
with others, a desire to be part of a team and help that team
achieving my LSS Black Belt and have mentored and worked
succeed. The desire to have fun and create a positive atmo-
to develop processes and culture around LSS, statistically
sphere sure helps too! Manufacturing is similar to other in-
supported decision making, and continuous improvement
dustries – we have busy days and calm days, days that you
for many years.
get dirty, tired, and frustrated, and days that are really fun, rewarding, and energizing. At the end of the day it’s all about
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE MANUFACTURING FIELD?
people, and there is a lot of opportunity in manufacturing to
WHAT DREW YOU TO THE INDUSTRY?
unlock great creativity and development in people regardless
I studied Chemical Engineering in college because I enjoyed
of their background or prior experience.
science, math, and technology growing up and wanted to apply those disciplines to make the world a better place. I grew up in the Midwest, appreciate agriculture and the Midwestern work ethic and love the pace and energy of a manufacturing environment. The science and technology around food, feed, and renewable fuel production is complex, interesting, and ever-advancing – working with Cargill and in food/feed manufacturing has given me the opportunity to learn some-
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