Seaboard Triumph Foods Leaders Featured in Siouxland Woman
Since being built in 2017, Seaboard Triumph Foods is dedicated to innovation and improvement. In Volume 7 Issue 5 of Siouxland Woman magazine, you’ll find spotlights on some of the great leaders that have built STF and provide a bright future.
Sarah Boline - Regulatory Food Safety Manager
How long have you been with the company?
A little over three years, I started in December of 2017; just a few months after the plant initially opened.
What does your typical day consist of?
Everyday I provide leadership and problem-solving skills for two supervisors and six food safety technicians on both shifts. I also advise on food safety questions, concerns, and incidents. I review
official food safety documents and programs to ensure they meet all critical control points, government requirements, and customer requirements. Those requirement include: HACCP Plans (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Plans), SSOPs (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures), SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and GMPs (Good Manufacturing Procedures).
Additionally, I maintain all food safety and regulatory programs and policies and ensure they comply with both federal government regulations and customer safety and expectations.
I act as a liaison between in-plant personnel from all departments (livestock, operations, maintenance, quality assurance, shipping, training, and purchasing), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), customers and auditors.
And finally, in addition to leading audits, I always maintain an audit-ready atmosphere here at the plant.
What do you love about your job?
I love the people and I love the challenges I face. Every day is different, and I get to use reasoning and problem solving from previous interactions and issues to create solutions that ensure food safety is a top priority in everyone’s mind.
Kelli Meister - Director of Accounting & Finance
How long have you been with the company?
I have been here almost two years.
What does your typical day consist of?
I always start my day at the gym to give me more energy, focus, and optimism. In fact, my favorite part is not even the workout, but the energy and confidence boost that I get from the other women there.
Then, I always treat myself to an iced latte on my way to the office. And once I get to my desk, I start by reviewing my schedule and planning for the day. With leadership comes a lot of meetings and preparing ahead of time really makes the meetings as productive as possible. When I’m not in meetings, I spend approximately 25% of my day looking at the numbers with the accounting team and running all the financial activities. The remaining 75% of the day I spend working with the executive team on strategic plans and projects - this includes business planning, budgeting, forecasting and negotiations.
What do you love about your job?
I love so many things about my job, but the top one is the people I work with. We’re able to have fun but still be productive - even if it’s something as small as all wearing pink on Wednesday.
I think the most important part of success is realizing that you must do the small things right first, in order to accomplish the big things. And my team always has a knack for finding the silver lining in every situation.
The second part I enjoy about my job is the opportunity for community involvement. Here at STF we partner with multiple organizations across the community including Sioux City Community Schools, The Food Bank of Siouxland, and Habitat for Humanity.
For the last three years we have been the executive sponsor of The Food Bank of Siouxland’s Empty Bowls annual fundraiser, and we even got to compete in their virtual cooking contest for this year’s event. Through that partnership I became an active member of their board in January of 2020, and I currently serve as the vice president. I highly recommend that if you are given the opportunity to volunteer your time, embrace it.
The third part I love about my job is the opportunities for growth. STF is a large company, but we’re only 4 years old. Everyday there are places for improvement. And at the end of the everyday, we are able to take pride in our progress.
Tracy Walker - Workers Compensation Manager
How long have you been with STF?
I joined STF in July 2020.
What does your typical day consist of?
My typical day is rarely typical. My core duties are to lead the health services department and manage our workers/ compensation claims. My staff provides care for current team members and performs post-offer employment testing for incoming team members. In addition to those responsibilities, I am a member of our newly formed Process Improvement Team (PIT).
What do you love about your job?
I love that my job allows me to work with a talented group of co-workers who are all striving to create a safe, productive work environment. Each situation is different which then drives creative, cooperative solutions.