Here we grow again...
This Summer has been a complete whirlwind at the farm. We started an expansion project in our barn to better serve our warehouse employees and provide a more conducive structure for storing our inventory of products. Through the expansion we have continued to work business as usual within the same barn by renting a large semi-trailer freezer. Nothing is where it should be, and everything is a bit chaotic in the barn. We’ve been graced with a really great team of people to manage through it all, and we can’t be anymore proud of their consistent work-ethic this Summer. As school begins again, we say goodbye to a few good men who have been packing orders, managing inventory, and building new walk-in coolers alongside us. Isaiah, our warehouse manager, stepped up into this position after shadowing CEO Lou at the farmers markets for around 6 years. He’s a hard worker who wanted a challenge this Summer after high-school graduation. He’s stepped out of his comfort zone by relocating from Chicago, IL to the small town of Dowagiac, MI. It’s been a pleasure to watch him take initiative and practice management tactics while running around with the “warehouse warriors.” He’s bright, ambitious, kind, has a lot to learn, yet eager to process and receive information as it comes. We are incredibly grateful for all of his effort this Summer, and are thankful he will still be behind the blue coolers slinging pork and fish while at the markets.Nolan, grandchild number 2 for Nate and Lou. We were always happy to see Nolan because of his overall laid back attitude, curiosity, and ability to do the job. He put his hands, body and mind to the test while building the new walk-in freezer walls. He enjoyed destructing the building and putting it back together, similar to his extra curricular activities of taking apart and building computers. And finally Parker, grandchild number 3, and our youngest, coolest “warehouse warrior.” Parker was one to lighten the mood while being helpful whether it was loading chickens, running orders to the office, counting product, or weed whipping around the barn. He’s still figuring out his interests, so it was a joy to see him try new things. He would always stop to shoot some hoops on the way in to the office and I’ll miss catching a glimpse of him making a couple baskets throughout the day. Thanks for all the hard work guys. At the same time of saying goodbyes, we are welcoming new faces to the Jake’s warehouse and delivery team and training them through the chaos. Luckily the timing of the new hires allowed Isaiah and our current warehouse warrior, Hunter, to designate time in their day to training through the expansion project. We look forward to learning more about and from our new coworkers, and are excited for the future of Jake’s.Our project is still not finished, as the electricians and cooling teams put finishing touches on wiring and functionality; but we all can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This type of project during our busy season has been exhausting at times. Some days my parents pondered why they take on all of this work at their age, and I always lend a good ear when this contemplation arises, because I foresee myself pondering these same questions someday. I’ve listened when there is no real answer and frustration conquers; but then there are the triumphant times when real truth shines and the answer seems to lie within service to others. Whether it is by meeting great people through sales of our food, creating opportunities for others to excel at farming unconventionally, learning new tasks, supporting a family, or stepping outside comfort zones – this farm and business is a place to serve others, whether we like it or not, and that is something we all can hang our hats on at night. Share this:
