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Rich Connell AGRI-SEARCH, Inc.

AGRI-SEARCH • 217-543-2505http://www.agri-search.com

WITH A PASSION FOR PEOPLE, AGRI-SEARCH IS ALL ABOUT MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS

Reprinted from Grain Journal July/August 2014 Issue

There is a major shift happening in the workforce today that extends to every industry in our economy but most significantly to those sectors that require hands-on, technical skills. The grain industry falls squarely into that category and faces the challenge of recruiting and retaining employees from a new generation that comes to the table with a completely different set of abilities and expectations of the work environment. Valuing technology, mobility, flexibility, and autonomy, many in the Millennial generation lack the technical and interpersonal skills that characterize the Baby Boomer and X generations before them who now are hiring (and retiring).

In fact, a 2011 Pricewaterhouse Coopers study titled, “Millennials at Work: Reshaping the Workplace,” found that CEOs are becoming increasingly concerned that they soon will be unable to find the talent that they will need to succeed, with a shortage of suitably skilled workers being their single biggest worry. To put it into more relatable terms, the up-and-coming generation of workers lacks what Dave Allen, president of Rich Connell AGRI-SEARCH, Inc., Arthur, IL (217-543-2505), calls a “shade tree mechanic mentality.”

“Twenty years ago, people grew up working on tractors, trucks, and cars out in the garage, under the shade tree with Dad or with Grandpa,” notes Allen. “Today there is such a computer-related generation that is so tied to computers that it doesn’t have that mechanical bent to work with equipment as much. So it’s more difficult to find people, whether it’s in the grain business or the auto repair shop on the corner,” he says.

“That’s a challenge, because every grain elevator, every facility has a huge amount of operations, and to find the people who understand and can do those things is going to be, in my opinion, over the next decade and decades, our biggest challenge in the industry,” he adds.

Fortunately, Allen and the company he leads are experts who are committed to finding the right people with the right experience, skills, and values for success in the agriculture industry and matching them to their clients who are seeking high-quality candidates to hire.

If it sounds like a matchmaking service, it’s a pretty accurate comparison. In fact, according to Allen, it’s one his wife makes all the time.

“My wife used to tell people who would ask, ‘What exactly is it that David does?’ She would say, ‘Well, you’ve heard of date matchmaking services? He does that, only instead of a wife or a husband, he finds them a job or finds a company people,’” he recalls.

“You’ve got to have similar goals and values,” Allen continues. “You’ve got to have similar work ethics. The culture has to be a fit. There just has to be a lot of things that mesh, in order for an employer and an employee to have good, long-term success and viability. That’s no different than in a marriage. In a way, that’s a good comparison,” he suggests.

Rooted in Agribusiness

As with any company, success isn’t a given; it takes hard work and, most importantly, committed people who share similar values and who understand the importance of building relationships. That is the foundation upon which Rich Connell AGRI-SEARCH was built and the legacy that was passed on to Allen by the founder of the company that bears his name.

Rich Connell was born and raised on a dairy and grain farm near Storm Lake, IA. Working alongside his father, the Connell dairy became the largest dairy farm in northwest Iowa, which meant the farm was visited by numerous sales representatives selling feed, fertilizer, and seed. Connell quickly learned and understood the importance of a solid relationship between farmers and suppliers.

After a fire destroyed the Connell dairy facilities some years later, Connell spent 20 years working in various capacities at Farmland Industries, where his knowledge of and relationships in the grain industry deepened and expanded. By the mid-1980s, the climate in agribusiness was changing; Farmland was in financial trouble and began downsizing and consolidating, and Connell felt it was time for him to seek new pastures. So on Sept. 1, 1986, he took an early retirement from Farmland.

Connell’s good reputation in Illinois agriculture led to several opportunities for him to consider. Ultimately, he joined Frank Beurskens doing public relations work at Advance Trading Inc., Bloomington, IL, where he became an ambassador for the grain industry and began working college career fairs to encourage young people to make their career in agribusiness. Grain companies soon began contracting with Advance to have Connell fill their job needs.

Then, on June 1, 1995, after “retiring” for the second time, Connell started Rich Connell AGRI-SEARCH, Inc. and opened an office in downtown c Mahomet, IL. The rest, as they say, is history.

A Passion for People

“Rich is a very unique individual – very talented, very people-oriented,” says Allen, who bought the company from Connell in 2001. “He had worked for Advance Trading and worked to develop the cooperative system for Farmland in Illinois and had a lot of connections. His energy and passion for people just carried over,” he continues.

The company is committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion, and excellence by assisting candidates to reach their career goals and helping its client companies build successful teams by recruiting, screening, interviewing, checking references, and recommending qualified candidates for positions within agribusiness. In short, AGRI-SEARCH is a job placement firm specializing in all facets of the agriculture industry for positions ranging from executive management to entry-level.

“We essentially help provide that people source for companies to help them be just as successful as we want to be,” Allen says. “People are what we are. That’s our product. When they’re successful, we’re successful.”

In order for that simple formula to work, however, Allen notes that both candidates and clients need to come to the table and communicate effectively to ensure the right match is made.

“Our business is very much detail-oriented, and when our candidates and our clients both share those intimate details about their needs career-wise as a candidate or personnel-wise as a client, they will help us to zero in on the right fit,” he explains. “Our ability to find the right fit is almost completely reliant upon both of them being very honest with us about their personal needs or their personnel needs on the client side.”

For candidates seeking a new position or direction in their careers, Allen emphasizes the importance of a personal narrative that illustrates their strengths and accomplishments in an authentic way. He adds that many people who’ve worked in the grain industry are very humble and often struggle with marketing themselves. But as Allen points out, “If you’ve done it, it’s not bragging.

“In the job-seeking marketplace, it’s important that they tell their story, whether it’s on paper or preparing them for an interview in a verbal way to tell their story in a strong, concise, and clear way, so that, again, a hiring manager can see who they are,” he explains.

Back to the Future

Ultimately, the future of the agricultural industry will rest in the hands of the next generation of owners and employees, and in order for it to thrive, Allen says, the industry needs to do its part in educating them about the career options that are available in a variety of areas, including grain, equipment, agronomy, feed, etc.

“I think we need to make that awareness known,” Allen says. “The bottom line is that the winners in the grain game in the years ahead will be those employers who are able to hire and retain the best people. But it won’t be easy, because I do see that as a shortage, an ongoing shortage, and an ongoing challenge in our industry,” he says.

Fortunately, AGRI-SEARCH will be there with its team of dedicated people to help job candidates and employers alike find the right fit and ensure that the future of the grain industry remains bright.


About AGRI-SEARCH

Arthur, IL
217-543-2505
http://www.agri-search.com

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