Matt Christofferson Des Moines, Iowa North American Product Manager MicroPEARLS, Kemin Industries, Inc.

Please describe your agricultural background.
I grew up on a family owned farm in western Iowa. Over the years we had a small dairy herd, as well as a farrow to finish swine operation. We also grew corn, soybeans, and wheat. Growing up, I was vey active in 4-H, as well as the FFA program in high school.

What education are you bringing with you to this position?
I received my bachelor’s degree in biology from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. In addition to my formal education, I have maintained a life-long interest in agriculture from my experiences growing up on our family farm.

What previous positions have you held?
After graduating college, I spent 11 years teaching high school science in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. I then made a major career change and went into pharmaceutical sales with AstraZeneca. After working five years in pharmaceuticals, the opportunity to get back into the agriculture industry presented itself, and it was the best decision I have ever made. Working at Kemin has not only allowed me to be part of a great company, but also work to help people like my family and friends become more productive and profitable.

What are your new responsibilities?
My new responsibilities include working to bring together sales, marketing, and research in order to get our encapsulated MicroPEARL® products into the hands of producers so that we can help them become more productive and more profitable than ever before. I am working to help sales identify specific areas in the dairy, beef, swine, and poultry industries where our MicroPEARL® line of amino acids, organic acids, and essential oils can benefit our customers. At the same time, I am involved with our technical service department in organizing our research to identify additional areas where we can help improve performance.

What territory will you cover?
My area of responsibility is North America. However, at this time, most of my energy will be focused on the United States with an eye towards Mexico in the future.

What excites you most about working in your new role?
I am very excited to get back into the ag industry. I admire the people that work so hard to provide the food and products that people around the world count on. The opportunity to work at a company like Kemin is amazing as well. It is large enough to have a world wide presence, but at the same time small enough so that I can be involved in all aspects of managing the product line. The knowledge and skills that I will develop excite me on a daily basis.

How will you be of most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
The best thing that I can do for our customers is to work to ensure that they have access to top quality products and a company that will do its best to support them. It is not enough to have top of the line products; I will also work to make sure that these products are utilized in such a way so that the customer will realize the best possible return on investment.

What is your best story from the first day on the job?
When I finally got the opportunity to sit down at my computer and go through my email late in the day, I got just a glimpse of what this position entails. My first day on the job, I had pricing requests, questions concerning the logistics of shipping the product line, as well as research recommendations. I was thinking to myself, I just learned where to park, and now I have to make a decision about the inventory levels. However, I wouldn’t have it any other way, and it is a great position to be in.

Why did you choose this company?
The first reason is the reputation that Kemin has. When the opportunity arose to work at a family run company, I jumped at it. It is just an amazing atmosphere. The Nelson’s have worked so hard and hired such great people that I am excited to be part of the Kemin team. It is really great to know that at any time I might run into R.W. and Mary Nelson, or their son Chris, and know that these are the people that have made Kemin what it is.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
I have the unique opportunity to manage a product line new to Kemin, where there is a great opportunity to become the leader in the area of encapsulation technology. The MicroPEARLS technology Kemin acquired earlier this year is incredibly unique and effective. My ultimate goal is to maximize the value this technology can provide animal producers to increase their efficiency, productivity and ultimately, profits. PD