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Pitching pasta to prospects

High school is about exploring opportunities to grow and learn. For Arica Trottier, the Human Resource Coordinator at Dakota Growers Pasta Company in Carrington, it's an important time to engage with students as they explore.

On Tuesday, March 7, Dakota Growers hosted about a dozen students from Carrington High School, and gave them a firsthand look at a future in the pasta and food processing industry.

"They are going to be learning about every position that we have available," Trottier said Monday, from the equipment operators and maintenance workers to the managers and office personnel.

"Our goal is to get high school students in the factory and working, as they are our future," Trottier said.

While bringing students into the plant isn't a new idea, it hasn't been done for a few years. There are plenty of reasons to bring it back, Trottier noted, among them to not only fill open positions in the short term but also to give students a closer look at the types of long-term careers available right here in their hometown.

Palletizing and machine operating are the two most successful positions for high school students, as they offer the most flexibility, Trottier said. Students age 16 and older are eligible to apply, and shifts vary based on their schedules.

For example, students can work as little as two hours after school from 3-5 p.m., stay as late as midnight or take a shift anywhere in between.

Currently one of the student staffers is enrolled in a work experience program that allows him to start work at noon and stay until 5 p.m. or 9 p.m.

Another student also farms with his family, and he works at Dakota Growers on rainy days throughout the growing season.

"It seems to be working out quite well with all of them," Trottier said of her student workers.

One of those students is Serenity Reynolds of Jamestown, who attends Pingree High School. She started working at Dakota Growers as a palletizer in January.

Her most common task is watching product on the line. She also assists the packaging equipment operators, builds totes for the tote line and ensures that her station is clean at all times.

One of Reynolds' classmates has a stepdad who is a manager, and so she learned about the opportunities from him before deciding to go to work there.

"She's probably one of our hardest workers," Trottier said of Reynolds.

The daughter of Jocelyn Anderson and Paul Reynolds, she has been "at work" since she was a young kid. Her first job was delivering newspapers for the Jamestown Sun, which she did for about seven years before the company ended paper routes and began distributing all printed newspapers by mail. She has also worked at Hugo's and Frontier Fort in Jamestown.

"I've never done something like this before," Reynolds said of her role at Dakota Growers. "You get to experience more than the few jobs teenagers typically have. There are many different things that you can do here."

For Trottier and Dakota Growers, the goal is to open students' minds to the many possibilities available within the company.

There are students that don't want to go to college, and this offers them a chance to see the job progression that they can follow by directly entering the workforce after high school.

"We want them to see that they can still be successful without a degree," Trottier said. For example, employees at Dakota Growers might start as palletizers and equipment operators and later advance into supervisory roles.

There are also great career opportunities for those who do choose to pursue degrees. Packaging Manager Eric Winter has two degrees: an AAS degree in Industrial Electronics and Process Control from NDSCS and a BAS in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. He obtained the second degree online while he worked for Dakota Growers. "Post (Holdings) paid for a good portion of my BAS degree," he said.

As for his career progression, Winter started out in press utility in August of 1994 and made two big leaps into machine operator and packaging supervisor within a few months. After five years in the supervisory role, he moved into a newly-created Packaging Operations Coordinator position brought about by automation. In 2004, he was promoted to packaging manager, now called production manager.

Dakota Growers Pasta Company, now known as 8th Avenue, is owned by Post Holdings, Inc.

Full-time, part-time, seasonal and temporary positions are available. For current opportunities, go to jobs.postholdings.com. Contact Trottier with any questions about the application process at 701-540-6152 or email [email protected].