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Randy Stoecker, President of Western Operations for Murphy-Brown LLC, Announces Retirement
Letter from Randy Stoecker:
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Few have enjoyed or endured a longer career in the modern pork industry than I have. I can truly say that I have been blessed to have worked with some of the most aggressive, progressive people at the forefront of the industry and it has been a great pleasure and a fulfilling career. Jerry Godwin and the Smithfield leadership under Joe Luter and Larry Pope; along with Wendell Murphy and the Murphy Family; and Ken Woolley, the founder of PIC, have been great to me and provided an opportunity to develop relationships with employees and business growth, which were enjoyable and rewarding.
Now the time has come to make changes in my life that I'm looking forward to with equal pleasure. I will be retiring from Murphy-Brown on December 15, 2007. We don't have specific plans for the future, but Gwen and I plan to travel and spend time with our friends and family. My parents are happily into their 80's and our children are adults with children of their own. We look forward to spending more leisure time with all of them and enjoying our four grandchildren.
I know in my heart that it's the right time to make this change, and also know that I will miss all of you with whom I've worked so closely over many years. I want to take this opportunity to thank those who have been supportive and helpful to me through the years and I look forward to staying in touch.
Randy Stoecker
Randy Stoecker, President of Western Operations for Murphy-Brown LLC, recently announced his retirement, effective December 15, 2007. Steve Pollmann assumed the title of Vice President and General Manager of Western Operations.
A former president of PIC, Randy joined Murphy Farms, Inc. in 1987 as vice president of Production under the direction of Wendell Murphy, owner and CEO. Twenty short years later, the swine industry has been transformed and Randy was a major catalyst in the change.
As President of Western Operation for Murphy-Brown LLC, Randy directed pork production systems in nine states. During a retirement reception given in Randy's honor in November, Wendell Murphy and Jerry Godwin, President and COO of Murphy-Brown, recounted fond moments and reflected on Randy's tireless efforts and dedication to the success of the industry.
"I contacted Randy when he was with PIC back in 1987," said Murphy. "I knew when I met him that he was out of my league. But as I shared with him my vision for the future of the swine industry, I found we shared the same vision. Randy has more to do with the growth and success of Murphy Farms [now Murphy-Brown], than anyone I ever hired."
"Randy has been an industry leader for 30 years," said Jerry Godwin. "He is a visionary and an innovator who has had a tremendous impact on modern swine production. He will be missed by his Murphy-Brown and industry colleagues."
Randy is a 1970 graduate of Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. He and his wife Gwen currently reside in Ames, Iowa.
Steve Pollman joined Murphy Brown in 1997 as General Manager of Circle Four, Utah. In 2002, he transferred to the Western Operations headquarters to accept his most recent position, Director of Operations. Pollman earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Swine Nutrition from the University of Nebraska and a B.S. in Animal Science from Utah State University.