Five Families. Three Locations. One Sustainable Partnership
Article reposted from: Dairy Herd Management
Managing one dairy has its own set of challenges. Add two additional dairies to the mix and the hard work really starts to pile up. Breeze Dairy Group, however, has proven that managing three dairy operations doesn’t mean the challenges of managing an individual dairy are tripled. Instead, putting the right protocols in place, prioritizing people, and creating a culture of trust, respect and leadership multiplies the success across all three dairy sites.
Breeze Dairy Group, headquartered in Pine River, Wis., was formed in 2002 when five families came together to unite their passions for dairy farming. Mark Diederichs, a dairy farmer, approached Lynn Davis, his nutritionist about expansion and creating a dairy partnership. Lynn took it from there meeting with other dairy farmers, Ron and Rick Schwenck, and Doug Thiel about being part of a large dairy project. Each individual farmer was considering expanding their smaller herds, but from Lynn’s experience, he knew they could be stronger and more successful together. The four families worked with Brian Gerrits, a farm consultant at the time, and began developing a business plan to build Lake Breeze Dairy in Malone, Wis. After working alongside the four families, Brian made the decision to join them as a partner, thus completing the unique partnership.
Forming an Alliance
With three separate facilities to run, the business decisions to make at Breeze Dairy Group are never-ending. Therefore, having an elite management team is a must.
“We have monthly board meetings with the team to discuss three different aspects of the business,” says Gregg Wolf, CEO of Breeze Dairy Group. “We talk about the operations as far as facilities, herd management and current happenings on the farm, then we review our finances and discuss our goals, aspirations and the direction we want the company to go.”
With five different families on the board along with the management team, it can sometimes be hard to make sure each individual voice at the table is heard. However, the value and experience each team member brings is indispensable.
“Bringing in multiple perspectives and working to communicate ideas allows us to solve problems, find solutions and work towards future goals,” Wolf says.
Rick Schwenck, director of livestock, agrees, adding, “It brings in some checks and balances to our group. Some people are more vocal than others, but we tend to find the right balance and provide a variety of experiences across the board, because everyone brings different perspectives on dairying. We’ve got a really good blend of experiences and knowledge throughout the team, and each person brings new ideas to the table.”
With such a large and diverse group of people all working to make the best decisions for the business, voicing opinions and bringing up new ideas could seem daunting for some. But establishing trust and respect is a crucial element to this group’s success.
“We all sort of have our own expertise, and that means we have to trust each other when situations pop up,” says Brad Gerrits, director of operations. “Everybody brings in different valuable experiences. And when there’s a problem that needs to be solved, we have to trust those who maybe have a solution because they have the experience behind them.”
Prioritizing People
Having three sites to manage requires a significant amount of people power. But with a shrinking labor pool, good help can sometimes be hard to find. Because the labor force is limited, Breeze Dairy Group prioritizes people on each operation and thinks of their employees as business partners.
“We went from being very cow focused to being very people focused,” says Katie Gerrits, director of human resources. “We realized that if we take care of our people, then our cows get taken care of, too. Not only do we want to focus on fine-tuning their current skills, but we want them to be able to learn and acquire new skills for future promotions.”
Throughout the three facilities, Breeze Dairy Group works to provide an enjoyable space for their employees to work and learn in.
“We have a heavy philosophy of ‘Grow from within, promote from within,’” Wolf says. “It’s getting harder to find help, so we know we need to attract people in different ways and then figure out how to keep them. That starts with educating and training our employees, but then offering them opportunities to move through the organization and feel like they have ownership of this operation as well.”
Geoff Gerrits, CFO of the company, agrees adding, “Creating a reputable and pleasurable employee environment ultimately benefits everyone.”
Some Friendly Advice
While having an extensive partnership like Breeze Dairy Group may not be right for everyone, working to build new relationships or improve current connections should be a target every producer aims for. The management team for this group offers several pieces of advice for those looking to progress.
“You have to communicate,” Wolf says. “So many businesses fail due to lack of communication. And I think that’s what helped set Breeze Dairy Group up for success. After almost 20 years of working together, they still understand the importance of communication.”
While a lot of dairies have operating agreements, Geoff says that sometimes people in organizations don’t speak up when they don’t agree or don’t understand. He suggests that partners have candor and have candid conversations between other business partners. “That way you know that everyone’s really on the same page rather than just signing an agreement that states you’re on the same page,” Geoff adds.
Honing in on the people and putting the right protocols in place is another piece of friendly advice this group shares.
“I like working with the people on our team and putting efficient systems in place to increase performance,” Schwenck says. “Seeing what that combination of people and great performance can do, and then replicating it from farm to farm allows us to continue to grow our organization.”
Lastly, it’s important to form a detailed set of operating agreements and allow them to set the stage as to how your operation will run.
“Establishing good operating agreements and trying to figure out how decisions will be made is a crucial first step,” Wolf says. “It’s also important to formulate an exit strategy in case one of the partners wants to get out. It’s not necessarily something you want to think about, but having things clearly laid out ahead of time is an important part of the business.”
No great partnership is formed overnight. It takes grit, determination, and passion. Breeze Dairy Group knows this well.
“The founders of our organization created a great base for [Breeze Dairy Group] as leaders in our industry,” Brad says. “Being able to learn from them and taking the time to keep our momentum going is setting us all up to continue to be better leaders. We push each other to be better all the time and it’s what helps make the magic happen. I look forward to seeing what this group accomplish next.”