Meet the Team: Joe Gustafson
Mar 02, 2021
Meet Joe Gustafson: Britton Agronomy Location Manager
What do the Claremont Honkers, Langford Lions, and the Veblen Cardinals have in common? Two words – Joe Gustafson. If you know anything about Joe, you know he is a big Honkers fan and was a Veblen Cardinal having grown up on the family farm near the North Dakota/South Dakota state line. He is also a Langford Lion as he has four children that keep him and his wife, Jenn, busy with activities all year round: Ashley, Ben, Megan, and Lizzie. Ashley is a Freshman at USD, and Ben (11th), Megan (9th) and Lizzie (6th) attend Langford Area School. Jenn is an occupational therapist at Marshall County Healthcare Center in Britton.
Joe has been our Britton Agronomy Location Manager for the last 9 years and has been in the ag retail business for a total of 17 years. His role is to keep everyone flying in formation as we provide industry-leading resources and knowledge to our member owners. He is a graduate of USD with a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Joe’s background is in sales, but his roots are in science.
He is also an important part of the Marketing Team here at Full Circle Ag. The Marketing Team is a group of 7 employees that play a vital role in promoting the company, as well as our Keeping it Local initiative. Kelli Erickson, Marketing Director, comments, “Joe has such a unique ability to coordinate customer needs with innovative marketing strategies in order to achieve success for both the grower and the co-op.”
When asked what motivates Joe and how he contributes to the grower experience, Joe states, “What I value about working for the co-op system providing the services that we do as a team is that I feel as though we are working on the same side of the desk as the grower as opposed to a retail store where you are working across the desk from the grower. Working at a local cooperative means that our customers are our neighbors, friends, and family, which truly helps to keep us focused on providing the best possible service to best meet the needs of our grower members.”
Joe has two rules that are quite inspiring:
1. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
2. It’s all small stuff.
Eric Paulson, COO, states, “Joe is a do-it-all manager at Full Circle Ag. His willingness to assist wherever needed is contagious. Whether it be helping deliver feed, run the fertilizer tower, or volunteer to sit on a committee for the organization, Joe has always been willing to truly lead by example for the better of Full Circle Ag and our member-owners. When you talk to Joe, you will quickly understand his family is his world. Joe is a great leader within our organization, and we are excited to have him as part of our ‘family’!”
Joe and his wife Jenn also stay busy in Claremont as members of the Claremont Fire Department, Claremont United Methodist Church, the Claremont Summer Rec Committee, and other organizations in the area.
There wouldn’t be any other way to end than on this note: Go Honkers!