One Year (Almost) Anniversary with CHS

I've officially been with CHS for 11 months! Yes... it's customary to celebrate 1 year, but I like to be different (and I'm going to be on maternity leave during my 1 year anniversary).

When people ask me why I decided to join CHS, I'm always been open that it was about the ability to grow my career. It has absolutely been a year of growth, new opportunities, and collaboration with the best team.

I joined CHS as recruiter in our Country Operations division working primarily with Montana & South Dakota. I’ve spent my entire career working in agriculture and have continuously been so impressed by our leader’s desire to get the job done no matter what. You never hear someone in CHS country operations say “that’s not my job”. I knew that I was at a special organization when I called an Agronomy Sales Manager to discuss an open role, and he told me he was spending his week driving truck for a short-staffed location. He told me that no matter what team you are on, we get through spring together. This may seem like a small thing, but it's not something that is happening at every company and I continuously hear it about leaders at CHS. I hear about people living our cooperative values everyday.

My first all HR CHS conference was a huge success. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we had phenomenal keynote speakers, panels, and business in-sights. I also was able to bond with a team that I had only known virtually. There was a running joke that you always knew where the TA team was, because you heard them before you saw them. Anyone that knows me, knows this is a pretty accurate definition of how I talk. So I have felt right at home with this group!

My favorite part of the year was my promotion to Campus Recruiter. This was the exact role I had in mind for myself and am so glad I was able to step into it at CHS. I was vocal from my first interview that intern recruitment was my passion, and my team leaders made every effort to get me into my dream role. I genuinely love helping students start their careers, and I'm fortune to work with one of the best internship programs in the business. There is something very special about getting to call college students to let them know they got the internship they were hoping for!

Everyone also knows that I love attending career fairs, but I can say that this year was very different than any other year. This year I was able to slow down and attend far less events but build more meaningful relationships with the colleges. Taking a more intentional approach to campus relations is something I've been working towards, and I'm glad I'm finally in a role where I can make it a reality. I am also so thankful to be part of a great campus team that will continue to make a huge impact.

I can't talk about a great year without bringing up the internship program events I was able to attend. It's a unique quality to have an internship program that can be attended in-person, virtually, or hybrid, but it made it possible for me to attend many events from South Dakota while others attended from across the country. Thank you to all of the 2022 interns that made it such a great experience, and I am greatly looking forward to working with our 2023 interns!

While this is just a few highlights of a great year, I am looking forward to a long career at CHS and continuing to make an impact!