Growing leaders from the ground up: RISE at Sunrise Cooperative
Ask any ag business leader what keeps them up at night, and talent is usually high on the list. Finding motivated young people, helping them see a future in agriculture and then developing them into strong employees—and eventually leaders—is no small task.
Facing that challenge and a wave of impending retirements, Sunrise Cooperative launched a simple but powerful plan in 2020: growing its own talent through a partnership with the Ohio chapter of the National FFA Organization.
The result is the Recruiting Innovative Sunrise Employees — RISE FFA Career Program. Today it is the first step in bringing young talent into the organization and preparing them for a career.
“When I went to college, no one encouraged anybody to come back into agriculture,” remembered Jeff Goodbar, vice president of company culture, Sunrise Cooperative. “But I changed direction my junior year because I just had a passion for agriculture. RISE is our way of identifying young people who have that passion and helping them into a successful career.”
RISE is designed for FFA members who are graduating from high school and ready to jump straight into full-time employment. Students chosen for the program commit to a four-year paid apprenticeship with Sunrise. From the start, they’re treated like real employees, not interns. They work alongside seasoned team members, learning how the cooperative operates day to day across its more than 20 central Ohio locations reaching from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
“The FFA RISE program is a way to actively invest in our future leaders. Together with Ohio FFA and this program we can grow success.”
– George D. Secor, President/CEO Sunrise Cooperative
Building leaders who know the customer must win first
“RISE helps us bring talented young individuals into the industry and really teach them what our culture is and why we do what we do,” Goodbar said. “Our ultimate goal is to develop leadership from within — leaders who know the customer must win first and that our member-owners are most important.”
Goodbar explained what makes the program unique is its rotation structure. During the first two years, RISE employees move through all major divisions of the cooperative—agronomy, grain and energy. They may spend a few weeks or a couple of months at a location, depending on seasonal needs. That exposure helps them understand how every piece of the business fits together and how each role supports the member-owner.
Teamwork is a critical aspect of serving member-owners, and RISE is where the Sunrise Cooperative’s teamwork approach begins.
The job begins with understanding why
Along with teamwork, member-owner focus is front and center throughout the program. As a cooperative, Sunrise Cooperative exists to serve customers who also are owners. RISE participants hear that message early and often. They learn not just how to do the job but also why the job matters.
“In our employee and leadership training programs, we always start with why — why is this good for the member-owner?” Goodbar said. “If you don’t understand why we’re doing something, you probably can’t be committed to our company and its focus.”
During their initial rotations, RISE employees build skills — everything from operating equipment and understanding crop nutrition to earning their CDLs and custom applicator credentials. For the remaining two years, they’re placed into positions that match their interests and Sunrise Cooperative’s needs.
Next step: developing leadership
Beyond recruiting young talent, the program is positioned as the foundation of its future team leaders. Sunrise believes the best leaders are often the ones who already understand the culture.
A culture of teamwork, deep connections to agriculture and a commitment to ensuring the customer wins are also foundational at Corteva Agriscience. Corteva invests in developing employees with these same attributes and salutes Sunrise Cooperative for its investment in young people through the RISE FFA Career Program.
To hear more about the teamwork of Sunrise Cooperative and Corteva Agriscience, visit Corteva.us/TurnrowTalk.
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