Factory Crews Essential
Ingredient For Success

By Lois Kerr

 

 

Gary Moen

Lynn Powers

Kerry Rasmussen

Ron Stenerson

Oran Anderson

Casimiro Perez

Perry Roth

Ross Wilson

Richard Metcalf

Steve Arnold

John Chapman

Don Badt

Frank Cundiff

Bruce Boyer

Edmond Anderson

Ken Rossol

Mark Deming

Richard Rossol

   

 

When area residents observe a busy beet harvest, they generally see growers working in the fields, receiving crews busy at the pile grounds, Transystems trucks on the road delivering beets to the factory, and the final white sugar product on the grocery shelves. People often forget a vital link in the chain: the factory crews that keep the plant in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and for as many months as necessary to get the crop processed and safely stored in the silos.

Without the factory crews, the company would have no sugar and the growers would have no market for their raw product. Experienced, dedicated employees ensure a quality end product. The Sidney factory has 36 experienced employees who have worked in the sugar industry for 20 years or more, and 18 of these seasoned employees have faithfully served Holly Sugar for more than 25 years.

These people, scattered throughout the factory and handling different jobs within the operation, bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise, skills and dedication with them when they report for work each day. This combination of talents makes the Sidney factory one of the most, if not the most, efficient processing plant in the country.

 

Gary Moen     top

 

Gary MoenGary Moen, the employee who has served the longest at the Sidney factory, has worked on a full-time basis for the plant for 32 years, and has provided the company with an additional 9 years of part-time work.

Moen began his career with Holly Sugar in 1960, when he started work in the warehouse. He has handled all sizes of bagged sugar, and loaded rail cars and semi trucks. Moen worked part time for Holly until 1968, when he became a full time staff member. Moen continued to work in the warehouse until 1978, when he moved over to the sugar extraction part of the factory.

Moen now works as a centrifugal operator, which keeps him busy setting timers, watching machines, replacing and washing screens, and monitoring the computer. “Work has changed for the better with the new equipment,” Moen says. “We used to have to run all over to watch things. Now we have computers and we can see what’s going on all over the factory without talking or running to look at another station.”

Moen feels Holly is a good place to work. “It has its ups and downs like anywhere else,” he says, “but most people are good to work with.”

Lynn Powers, a full time employee with Holly Sugar for 30 years, has served at the Sidney factory since 1998 as production manager. Powers’ responsibilities include the entire daily overall operations of the sugar extraction process.

 

Lynn Powers     top

 

Lynn PowersPowers began his career with Holly in 1961 as a sweeper and general clean-up worker. “I rode in with a brother-in-law, and I was sitting in the lobby waiting for him to finish his shift,” Powers says. “Someone came along and asked me if I wanted to work. I said ‘yes’ and I’ve been with Holly Sugar ever since.”

Powers worked ten campaigns before factory officials hired him as a permanent staff member. By 1980, he had attained the position of shift supervisor. In 1989, Powers had the opportunity to move to the Torrington, WY plant as production manager, where he remained for ten years. When the opportunity arose in 1998 to return to Sidney, Powers jumped at the chance.

“I like it here in Sidney,” Powers says. “Sidney is a good area, with good growers, a good plant and it is an excellent beet production area.”

 

Kerry Rasmussen      top

 

Kerry Rasmussen, agriculturist, has served the Holly Corporation for 28 years. He joined the company in 1973, following in the footsteps of his father. “My father worked for Holly for awhile, so it’s in the family,” Rasmussen remarks.

Rasmussen had originally intended to farm, but after graduating from college, he couldn’t find a farm to lease. “I had to make a living, I couldn’t farm, so this job with Holly was the next best thing,” Rasmussen says. “I had worked some campaigns in the factory, and I liked it.”

Rasmussen started his duties as an agriculturist with Holly at the Delta, CO plant. The Delta factory closed in 1977, so Rasmussen moved to Worland, WY. He returned to the Sidney area in 1981, and first served in the Glendive/Terry area as agriculturist. In 1989, he transferred to the Fairview area, and with crop year 2000, he took over responsibilities as agriculturist for the Savage/Culbertson area. “I’m happy with my job,” Rasmussen remarks. “Holly Sugar is a good company, and I’ve always enjoyed this job. I like working with the growers, and I enjoy working around the crop.”

 

Ron Stenerson     top

 

Ron StenersonRon Stenerson, special chemist at the Sidney factory lab, has spent nearly 30 years with the Holly Corporation. Stenerson began his long career with Holly Sugar at the Hardin plant. “I started at the bottom as a carrier and worked my way up,” Stenerson says.

When the Hardin factory closed after the 1971 season, Stenerson obtained a transfer to the Brawley, CA factory. When the Sidney factory needed an assistant chemist, Stenerson moved here to accept the position.

Stenerson has several job duties. He makes all the reagents used in the sugar extraction process, he ensures all lab equipment functions properly, and he supervises the lab staff. “Actually,” he jokes, “the staff supervises me.”

Stenerson appreciates the fact that the lab staff sees very little changeover in workers from one year to the next. “It’s nice that all the workers come back each year for campaign,” he comments. “Very little turnover makes it easier for all of us to get the job done properly.”

He adds, “The Sidney factory is a good factory, and I expect it will stay operational in this community for years to come.”

 

Oran Anderson     top

 

Oran AndersonSugar warehouse leader Oran Anderson has spent 28 years with Holly Sugar in Sidney. His duties include some maintenance work and some supervisory work, all within the warehouse. “I started as a sugar handler,” Anderson remarks. “I eventually worked at all the jobs in the warehouse, and I’ve been a leader for the past ten years.”

Like so many others, Anderson started with the company as a part time worker. When Holly Sugar offered him full time work, he accepted. “This is a great place to work,” he comments. “The people are good to work with, and the job itself gets better all the time. The warehouse is the best place to work.”

Anderson has seen a lot of changes, and points to automation as making the biggest and best change for the warehouse crews. “Automation has made the working environment easier,” Anderson explains. “We don’t have the hard physical labor now that we used to have.”

He concludes, “This is a great place to work, and it’s an excellent place for advancement and training.”

 

Casimiro “Grandpa” Perez     top

 

Casimiro PerezCasimiro “Grandpa” Perez, also a leader in the sugar warehouse, started full time with Holly Sugar in 1976. Perez involves himself with all aspects of the warehouse, keeps an eye on crews and ensures people follow safety procedures.

Perez started as a part time worker with the company in 1970. “I worked on a farm in the summer and I worked in the factory during the winter,” he recalls. “I started full time here in 1976, over in the mill.”

Perez spent two years in the extraction end of the factory before moving to the warehouse. He worked his way through the ranks and obtained his leadership position in 1982.

Perez enjoys his job with Holly Sugar. “I have nice bosses and it’s a nice place to work,” he says. “I like to work with people, and we have a lot of good people in this company.”

He adds, “I come to work every day and try to do the best job I can to get the work done.”

Perez earned the nickname “Grandpa” because of his seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.


 

Perry Roth     top

 

Perry RothShift supervisor Perry Roth started his 26th campaign with Holly Sugar this year. “I was hired in the fall of 1975, I worked that campaign, got laid off, then was rehired in September,” Roth comments. “I’ve been here ever since.”
Roth started as a sweeper, making $3.18 per hour. “We laugh at that wage now,” he notes, “but that was a good wage then. I did well on that pay. I got married and bought a truck, and I did very well.”

Roth left the sweeper job to accept a position as filter helper. He learned to operate the kiln, accepted a promotion to extra station man, then became the beet end foreman. These promotions provided him with an excellent knowledge of the entire sugar processing operation, so factory management promoted him to shift supervisor, a position he has held for 13 years.

Roth enjoys his work with Holly Sugar. “People are great,” he says. “It can be hectic in the factory at times, and each year is different depending on what kind of beets we get.”

Roth can’t sit still, and if he isn’t on the job at the factory, he keeps busy with farming activities. He has some cows and also keeps ducks, geese and chickens. “I like to get out and do things,” he says. “I originally come from a dairy farm, so I like farming. I drive beet truck at harvest during my days off.”

He laughs and adds, “Holly Sugar is the first and probably last job I ever had off the farm. People told me it would be such hard work, but at Holly I work my eight hours and go home. Hard work is working 16 hours a day on a dairy farm. Holly Sugar isn’t work. It has its ups and downs, most mostly things are up.”

 

Ross Wilson     top

 

Ross WilsonRoss Wilson, sugar boiler, has spent 25 years at the Holly Sugar factory. He started his career with the company by working at a small beet piler in Savage. “This was when we loaded railroad cars,” Wilson says. “We’d dump the beets directly from the trucks onto the waiting rail cars.”

A year or two later, Wilson moved to the factory, where he worked as a water tender and a tare truck driver during harvest. At the same time, he obtained a job within the factory, working from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. “I’d work my shift at the factory, then run out and drive tare truck for the harvest,” he recalls.

Through the years, Wilson worked at many jobs within the factory. He did general factory labor, worked as a filter helper, a mud operator and then moved to the pan area and sugar boiling, the job he holds today.

Wilson enjoyed driving tare truck and believes he liked that particular job the most of any of the jobs he has done at Holly. “Driving tare truck was the most enjoyable job,” he says. “I got to meet people at all the substations, and it was stress free.”

Wilson has seen tremendous changes within the factory. “The beet washer is the same, but everything else has changed and become bigger,” he states. “Safety has really improved, and automation makes everything easier.”

He adds, “The work is better, and the company is better. Management bends over backwards to have good communication with employees. Don Gorsek does anything he can to accommodate us. I see a big change for the better in attitude, and it is great. We have a ‘can do’ attitude now, instead of doing things in a strict company way.”

 

 

Richard Metcalf     top

 

Richard MetcalfWarehouse Manager Richard Metcalf has put in 26 years with the Holly Sugar Corporation. Metcalf grew up with sugarbeets, so choosing a career in the sugar industry surprised no one. “I’ve been a sugar tramp all my life,” Metcalf jokes. “My grandfather was a beet farmer when the Worland factory first opened in 1917. My mother and her brothers grew up with sugarbeets, and my mother served as the agriculture secretary at the Worland factory for 27 years.”

He continues, “I’m from a Holly Sugar family. My uncles worked in the factory during campaign and I rode on the beet trucks with them at harvest. I understood a lot about the sugar industry before I ever started working for Holly Sugar.”

Metcalf began his career with Holly Sugar after graduating from college with a degree in industrial management. He began as a management trainee at Hereford, TX. After working a year in Texas, he transferred to Worland. “A beginner gets moved around a lot,” Metcalf remarks. “Each factory performs different processes, so I moved to a different factory to learn these differences.”

After spending two years at Worland, Metcalf transferred to corporate headquarters at Colorado Springs, CO, where he put in 12 years of service. In July, 1989, the position of warehouse manager became available at the Sidney factory, and Metcalf asked for, and received, the transfer to the Sidney plant. He has served as warehouse manager at the Sidney factory ever since.

Metcalf likes the Sidney area, the factory and the people he works with. “I’m really pleased to be able to live here,” he says. “I like the area, I like the work ethic I find here, and I like the people of eastern Montana.”

 

Steve Arnold     top

 

Steve ArnoldShift Supervisor Steve Arnold, with Holly Sugar for 28 years, joined the company in 1973 as a management trainee. Arnold had completed a degree in engineering from a college in California, but he found that engineering jobs at that time offered very little job security. Arnold also liked the idea of small town living, so a chance to work at the Sidney Holly Sugar factory fit into his plans. “I grew up in a city,” Arnold explains. “When I graduated with an engineering degree, there was no secure future in the engineering field. I also liked the idea of a small town environment, so I accepted the position here as management trainee.”

Arnold spent a year at the Sidney factory as a trainee, then transferred to the Tracey plant for an additional year of training. He moved back to the Sidney plant upon the completion of his training, and he has worked here ever since.

As a shift supervisor, Arnold oversees the factory operations on his shift during campaigns. Over the summer he supervises a maintenance crew that looks after specific areas of the beet and sugar end of the operation. Arnold also serves as radiation safety officer for the plant.

Arnold has appreciated his time with Holly Sugar. “Management is good,” he comments. “I also enjoy working with people and training them.”

He continues, “I like the environment here in Sidney. There’s job security, and it’s a good place for family life in a small town environment.”

Arnold credits the Holly Sugar factory crew with working diligently to produce a quality end product. “We have a lot of experienced people in this factory who work conscientiously to get the job done,” he observes.

 

John Chapman     top

 

John ChapmanAnother long-time Holly Sugar employee, John Chapman, began his 29th campaign this fall at the Sidney plant. Chapman started with the company as a yard factory laborer, or sweeper, and worked his way through the ranks until he earned the position of shift supervisor, the position he holds today. Chapman has worked at all the jobs within the factory, and understands the sugar extraction process very well. “I started as a sweeper,” he says. “I then worked as a filter helper, a knife setter, an extra station person, a beet end foreman and have been a shift supervisor since 1986.”

Chapman likes the variety of work he finds at Holly Sugar. “I like new challenges,” he says. “I enjoy installing new equipment, and I like the challenge of dealing with different types of beets each year. Every year, the beets are different. With high purity beets, the sugar just seems to roll out of the crop, and with lower purity beets, we have a tougher time processing sugar and we have to make more molasses.”

He adds, “I like these different challenges. I need them, because that way the job stays interesting.”

Chapman appreciates the work ethic of the crew he supervises. “They are good people to work with,” he remarks.

Chapman enjoys camping and fishing on his days off.

 

 

Don Badt     top

 

     topDon Badt, shift supervisor, began working for Holly Sugar in 1970 as a part time worker in the sugar warehouse. “I was a sugar trucker and handler, making $2.39 an hour,” he recalls. “$2.39 was a good wage then. I was newly married, we rented an apartment for $85 a month, and we always seemed to have money.”

In 1971, Badt worked as a bulk sugar loader. He then moved to the factory side of the operation and worked as a sugar boiler. In 1974, Holly Sugar hired him on a full time basis as a white sugar boiler, and at that time he had the distinction of being the youngest white sugar boiler in the entire Holly Sugar organization.

Badt continued his upward advancement by moving to the sugar end foreman position, then serving as a beet end foreman, and then in 1986 receiving his promotion to shift supervisor.

Badt also serves as head of the factory sanitation committee; a committee dedicated to ensuring a clean, quality end product. “Every year the American Institute of Baking (AIB) does a total factory inspection for sanitation,” Badt explains. “They go over this place with a fine tooth comb. Each year we continuously improve our score, and right now we are five points behind receiving an outstanding score.”

Sanitation efforts have provided another bonus for the Sidney factory. The plant has earned the endorsement of the Gerber Company as a sugar supplier for Gerber baby foods. “The factory had a full blown inspection from Gerber a few years ago,” Badt says. “A team came to the plant and went through the whole factory and as a result, we are the only certified supplier of sugar to the Gerber baby food company. This came about because of our packaging facility, the way we keep the warehouse, and how the whole operation is done here.”

He adds, “This is a credit to the whole operation and the entire factory crew.”

Badt, known as a prankster to those on his shift, believes work should include some elements of fun. “I try to keep things lighthearted,” he remarks. “I tell a few jokes and pull a few pranks because I want to relieve some stress and I want the guys on my shift to enjoy themselves.”

Badt likes factory life. “This is a great place to work,” he comments. “I like it that we have dedicated employees that really know their jobs. The same people come back each year, and this really takes a load off the supervisors.”

He continues, “There’s been a lot of changes within the company; some of them good and some of them questionable, but we are headed in the right direction.”

 

 

Frank Cundiff     top

 

Frank CundiffMaintenance Supervisor Frank Cundiff had the opportunity to join the Holly staff as soon as he graduated from college. The company hired him as a boiler operator, a job he held for several years. Cundiff then quit the Holly organization to pursue other career options, but he returned to the factory permanently a few years later. “I worked as a boiler operator for two or three years right out of college,” Cundiff says. “I then quit and went elsewhere, but when the boiler job came up again, I bid on it and got it.”

He adds, “The job at the factory gave me better security and better pay.”
From the job as boiler operator, Cundiff then moved into a welding position, then trained as an electrician. In 1987 he received a promotion to maintenance supervisor in charge of his shift. He and his crew oversee the maintenance of the equipment throughout the factory, and “whatever breaks down, we fix,” he notes.

Cundiff understands the workings of the older equipment inside and out, but some of the new, unfamiliar equipment may take a little longer for crews to fix. “We aren’t familiar yet with the new equipment, so these are the hardest to fix,” he comments. “We need to consult the manuals and sometimes get in some technical support.”

Cundiff likes his job at the Sidney factory. “I enjoy this job, and that’s what counts,” he remarks. “It’s a good place to work, with great people. The people we have now are all conscious of the position the company is in, and we are all trying to do a good job and make this work.”

He continues, “We have a lot of employees with a lot of expertise. A lot of us started at the bottom and worked our way up. This makes a big difference, because we know the place inside and out. The Sidney factory employs a lot of people who have a lot of years of experience.”

 

Bruce Boyer     top

 

Bruce BoyerSugar End Foreman Bruce Boyer started with the Holly Sugar Company in 1975 as a knife sharpener. He then moved to the carbonation unit, spent some time as a sugar boiler, then received his promotion to sugar end foreman. As sugar end foreman, he oversees the making of the final product, from the boiling stage to the final white sugar product.

“This is a good job,” Boyer comments. “We all work well together. I don’t mind the shift work during campaign because there’s not a lot going on over the winter, anyway.”

Boyer finds the yearly campaign start-up and the wind-down at the end of campaign as the toughest times of the year. “Start up of campaign can be hectic,” he notes. “That’s when we find the little leaks and need to make minor adjustments and changes. The end of campaign can get tough, too. Everyone is tired, and we’re ready to get back to day shift.”

All in all, Boyer enjoys his work at the factory. “There’s something different every day, which keeps the job interesting,” he remarks.

In his spare time, Boyer enjoys bike riding.

 

Edmond “Andy” Anderson     top

 

Edmond “Andy” AndersonSugar Boiler Edmond “Andy” Anderson started with Holly Sugar on a part time basis in 1962. In 1971, he obtained full time work with the company. “I started full time in the sugar warehouse in 1971,” he comments. “I moved over to the factory in 1974 as a centrifugal operator.”

Anderson obtained his current job, that of sugar boiler, in 1987.

Anderson has seen a lot of changes at the factory through the years, changes that have made life easier and safer for employees. “When I first started, everything was done with hand labor,” Anderson says. “Now everything is run by computers.”

Anderson likes factory work. “It’s a good place to work and it gives me a steady job,” he says. “I work with the same crew every year during campaign, so that helps, too.”

During the summer months, Anderson paints and helps prepare the factory for the next campaign. If given the choice between summer work and winter campaigns, Anderson would choose campaigns. “I like campaigns best,” he says. “It’s a cleaner job, and I really don’t mind shift work.

 

Ken Rossol     top

 

Ken RossolKen Rossol, beet end foreman, has 25 years of service with Holly Sugar.

Rossol started with Holly Sugar after graduating from high school, but decided to try his luck in the oilfield. He eventually decided oilfield work didn’t suit him, so he returned to Holly Sugar on a permanent basis in 1976 and worked in the warehouse. He advanced to the job of pellet mill operator, then spent a year working in the carbonation unit, then he accepted the position of extra station person. “Holly Sugar had a lot of guys retiring about then, so some of us moved through the ranks pretty quickly,” Rossol remarks.

After working for a year as extra station person, Rossol received a promotion to the job he had held for the past 12 years, that of beet end foreman. Rossol oversees the entire beet end of the operation, from the time trucks dump the beets into the wet water hopper until the juice reaches the evaporation process. “The beet end looks after beets starting with the wet hopper, the knife station, the tower diffuser that extracts the juice, through the filtration and carbonation systems, plus the main control panel, the dryer operation, making the beet pellets and the boiler operation,” Rossol comments. “The beet end looks after the complete picture starting with the whole beet right to the evaporation process.”

Rossol really enjoys his job. “I love it,” he says. “Holly Sugar has treated me well. I’ve always had good experiences with the company. Holly Sugar gave me the chance to learn to cut and weld, and how to tack and replace metal. Holly is a very good company.”

Rossol also loves campaigns. “Every day is a challenge,” he states. “Beets coming in from different pile grounds are different and can change the way we have to process them. The challenge of dealing with these different beets keeps the job interesting.”

He continues, “In summer I work on maintaining the U.S. filters, and that job can get monotonous. Winters are different and exciting, and offer a challenge. Every day there is something that needs figuring or done.”

The only drawback Rossol can find with campaigns concerns shift work. “I’m not crazy about shifts, but I get used to them,” he remarks. “When it’s minus 30 outside, it can be tough to get up at 11 p.m. so you can get to work by midnight.”

Rossol believes the key to the success of the Sidney factory lies in teamwork. “We make it work because we work as a team,” he points out. “We’re here to make sugar and to keep the factory going. The Sidney factory is a good factory. The whole process starts in the field with good beets and we take it from there. Growers do their part by supplying a good beet, and we in the factory do our part by extracting sugar efficiently.”

He concludes, “We’re a family. We work together and this makes the Sidney area a good beet area and makes the factory a good, efficient factory.”

 

 

Mark Deming     top

 

Mark DemingFirst Class House Mechanic Mark Deming, in his 28th year with Holly Sugar, started at the factory as a trucker and handler in the warehouse. He moved over to the factory to accept a position as boiler house operator. After eight years as a boiler operator, he accepted the position he holds today, that of 1st class house mechanic.

Deming also serves as union president, a job that keeps him busy. “I’m in my second three-year term as president, with one year left to go,” Deming comments. “As union president, I’m the head of all union committees, and I also serve on the safety committee.”

In September, Deming, along with four other people, went to Washington, D.C. to lobby for sugar interests. The group got more than they bargained for. “I was in Washington on Sept. 11, during the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,” Deming comments. “We were in Denny Rehberg’s office at the time, and the whole building was evacuated. There was a lot of confusion, and we couldn’t get our flight back to Montana on Thursday, so we rented a car and drove back to Sidney.”

Deming appreciates the job opportunities he’s received as a Holly Sugar employee. “The company has been good to me through the years,” Deming states. “I’ve learned a lot with the new changes, the advances in technology and the specialized equipment.”

He continues, “Management and union people are all fantastic to work with. I really like my job, and I like working with people. The main maintenance crew has had very little turnover recently which is good, because we don’t have to keep training new people. We have an excellent maintenance crew.”

Deming stresses that the key to success lies in working together. “We know our company went through bankruptcy proceedings,” Deming remarks. “I hope the cooperation between the company and the growers continues as it has in the past, and that we all can get along.”

He concludes, “Holly Sugar is very important to this area. The company has been here a long time, and it’s a great company to work for. I hope we all continue to work together and stick together through thick and thin.”

 

Richard Rossol    top

 

Richard RossolRichard Rossol, who works at the Sidney factory as a centrifugal operator, started with the company on a part time basis in 1968 shoveling rock at the lime kiln. Rossol joined the permanent staff in 1975.

Rossol has worked in the sugar warehouse, as an oiler and as a centrifugal operator during his career with Holly Sugar. His responsibilities as a centrifugal operator include cutting the white sugar and watching for color, purity and dryness.

Rossol likes both summer and winter work at the factory. During the summer, he helps the mechanics, who work on the beet end as they repair, overhaul and maintain equipment.
Rossol believes he works with an excellent crew, and likes his job at Holly Sugar. “It’s a good job, and I like everybody on the shift,” he says. “It’s a good place to work, and everyone gets along really well together.”

He laughs and adds, “The only drawback is the shift work. I’m not too crazy about shifts.”

The Sidney plant has an additional 16 staff members who have served with the company for more than 20 years, but have not quite reached the 25-year mark. The following people have between 20 and 25 years of service with Holly Sugar: Leroy Anderson, instrument technician; Ken Brost, maintenance supervisor; Brent Coon, ag mechanic leader; Dennis Dietz, beet end foreman; Mike Dunn, maintenance supervisor; Pat Dunn, pulp drier operator; Don Gorsek, district manager; Bob Huse, electrician 1; Randy Jones, agriculturist; Kim Rehbein, maintenance supervisor; Larry Riggs, agriculturist; Gloria Sanders, storekeeper; Gary Schmoll, watchman; Dee Ann Sifuentes, warehouse specialist; Fred Sifuentes, sugar end person; and William Voss, beet end foreman.

The Roundup and Ag Roundup salute these experienced, dedicated Holly Sugar employees.

[Back to Sugar Days 2001]