Michigan Sugar Company

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Michigan Sugar Company welcomes Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay as its new Quality Assurance Manager. A native of Kolkata, India, Sangeeta graduated from Pratt Memorial School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in food engineering from West Bengal University of Technology, located in Haringhata, West Bengal, India. After graduating, she worked on food and beverage patents as an Intellectual Property Research Analyst before earning her master’s degree in food engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, located in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. After earning her master’s degree, Sangeeta came to the United States to attend the University of Arkansas for her Ph.D. During her Ph.D. program, she worked as a Senior Research Graduate Assistant and Teaching Assistant. In 2017, she earned her Ph.D. in Food Science, with a focus on Food Engineering. She began her career in 2018 as a Quality Auditor and Process Improvement Engineer at American Sugar Refining, a cane sugar refining company that is a subsidiary of Florida Crystals located in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2019, she was promoted to Quality Supervisor. In 2021, Sangeeta took a role as the Factory Associate Quality Assurance Manager for the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company in Davenport, Iowa. She later transitioned to the position of Factory Quality Assurance Manager for the company’s Batavia, Ohio, facility, a dry pet food factory that was the company’s biggest investment to date. Sangeeta also had short-term assignments at the company’s Flagstaff, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; and Eden, North Carolina, factories. Sangeeta joined the Michigan Sugar team in June. She is looking forward to learning more about sugarbeet production and processing, especially during her first harvest season. “I love being the ‘boots on the ground’ team member,” she said. “I am motivated to have a positive impact on our company’s food safety and quality culture. During my first few weeks here, I’ve been welcomed by my colleagues and truly love coming to work. I can’t wait to see how we continue to move this company forward.” In her free time, Sangeeta enjoys trying different cuisines, cooking, painting, listening to audiobooks, walking, and working out. She and her husband, Zach, who also works at Michigan Sugar Company as a Research Scientist, are looking forward to settling down in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Sangeeta and Zach enjoy traveling, often to visit Sangeeta’s family in India or Zach’s family in Arkansas. They also have a cat, Baagh Mama, which means Uncle Tiger in Sangeeta’s native language, Bengali, and several aquarium fish. Welcome to the team, Sangeeta! #employeespotlight #PlantYourCareer #SWEETJOBS #MakingLifeSweeter #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Michigan Sugar Company welcomed Haley Jenkins to the agronomy team in June as an Agriculturalist in the West District. A native of Birch Run, Haley knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in agriculture, as well as stay in her home state of Michigan. A first-generation college student, Haley attended Michigan State University after graduating from Birch Run High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in horticulture in December 2022. During college, Haley worked as a Research Assistant at MSU, where she gained experience breeding small fruit – mainly strawberries, along with some blueberries and hops – for pathogen resistance. Her other responsibilities included field scouting, diagnostics, collecting field samples, designing yield trials, and soil fertility management. Haley is the second member of her family to work at Michigan Sugar Company; her uncle Thomas Kramer was an employee at the piling ground in Albee Township. “I’m excited for the opportunity to help improve grower-owners’ crops,” Haley said. “One thing that I’ve got a lot of experience in is field scouting, and I love attention to detail.” Haley lives in Lansing. Her hobbies include backpacking, camping, kayaking, and powerlifting. One of her favorite places to explore is the Huron-Manistee National Forest, located in the northern half of the Lower Peninsula between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Welcome to the Michigan Sugar family, Haley! #employeespotlight #PlantYourCareer #SWEETJOBS #MakingLifeSweeter #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Michigan Sugar Company welcomes Cam Vermeersch as the Packaging & Warehousing Supervisor at the Sebewaing factory. Cam is a native of Unionville, graduating from Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School in 2009. He then attended Delta College, where he earned his associate degree in marketing management. After college, he worked at Cooperative Elevator Co. as a grain handler at the Akron location for three years. From there, he joined SC Johnson in Bay City, where he spent eight years as a Tech Specialist. He joined the Michigan Sugar team in January 2024. “The people here are fantastic,” Cam said. “Everyone here cares for each other. I can honestly say that I enjoy coming in to work every day.” Cam and his wife Stephanie have been married for eight years and live in Unionville with their three children - Grayson, 7; Raelynn, 5; and Brody, 2. In the winter, Cam enjoys snowmobiling, and in the spring and summer, he stays busy coaching Grayson’s T-ball team. Welcome to the Michigan Sugar family, Cam! #employeespotlight #PlantYourCareer #SWEETJOBS #MakingLifeSweeter #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Meet Jeremy Porzondek, Michigan Sugar Company’s new Reliability Engineer at the Sebewaing factory. A native of Ubly, Jeremy graduated from Ubly High School in 2013 and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University in mechanical engineering in 2018. He began his career at Corteva Agriscience, working as a Utility Engineer at the company’s Harbor Beach site. After four years there, he took a position as a Reliability Engineer at American Chemical Solutions in Muskegon. Jeremy joined the Michigan Sugar family in April 2024. He’s happy to be back closer to home and near family. “I grew up in a farming community,” he said. “Being here at Michigan Sugar, I get to be part of that again. It’s truly a family atmosphere here. I have a passion for agriculture, and I’m so happy to be back in the industry.” Jeremy lives in Unionville with his two dogs, a 2-year-old Labrador named Willow and a 13-year-old beagle named Toby. In his free time, he enjoys hunting and fishing. Welcome to Michigan Sugar, Jeremy! #employeespotlight #PlantYourCareer #SWEETJOBS #MakingLifeSweeter #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity

VETERAN OF THE MONTH: Congratulations to Keith Rang, Michigan Sugar Company’s Veteran of the Month for June 2024. A Standish native, Keith graduated from Standish-Sterling Central High School in 1996. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduation and completed his basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. He went on to complete Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training in petroleum supply and motor transport operations. He spent four years in the 980th Reserve Unit in Bay City, where he worked as a diesel mechanic and fuel supply specialist. Keith joined the Michigan Sugar team in 2000 as a Welder at the Bay City Factory. From there, he completed the Millwright Apprenticeship Program, and held several other positions, including Lead Mechanic, Assistant Beet End Foreman, Dryer Foreman, and Beet End Foreman. Four years ago, he started his current position as Shift Supervisor at the Bay City Factory. “I love my job, and I love the people here,” said Keith. “Every single day is different, and the diversity is what really motivates me to come to work every day.” Keith and his wife Josette have been married since 2005. In his free time, Keith enjoys hunting, fishing, home renovations, and yard work, along with spending time with his nieces and nephews. Congratulations, Keith, on being named Veteran of the Month. We thank you for your continued service to our country and our cooperative. To nominate a Michigan Sugar Company employee for Veteran of the Month, send an email to Tyler Kring at tyler.kring@michigansugar.com. #thankyou #veteran #veteranofthemonth

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Meet Rick Lomasney, Michigan Sugar Company’s new Director of Safety. A native of Marysville, located near Port Huron, Rick attended Marysville High School. In 1991, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he spent the next 21 years working as a hospital corpsman with a focus on sailor, workplace, and equipment health and safety. During his time in the military, Rick also earned his bachelor’s degree in health science from Trident University International. Rick retired from the Navy in 2012 and went on to earn his master’s degree in occupational safety from Eastern Kentucky University. Dedicated to improving workplace safety, Rick worked in a variety of industries with a goal of creating a safe workspace for all with what he refers to as a "common sense, practical approach to safety." After working for companies in the automotive, metal heat treating, and aerospace tooling manufacturing industries, Rick took a position at Boeing as a Corporate Safety Leader. He spent five years at Boeing before joining the team at Michigan Sugar. “When the opportunity presented itself at Michigan Sugar, I knew I wanted to be a part of this company,” Rick said. “With the company’s impressive history, and the smart, positive people here who share my passion for workplace safety, I’m looking forward to seeing how we can make our safety policies and procedures even stronger than they are today.” Rick and his wife AnneMarie have been married for 31 years and reside in Marysville with their two dogs and two cats. They have a 27-year-old son, Landon, who lives in Grand Rapids and works in the film editing industry. Rick and AnneMarie enjoy spending time with family, bike riding, working on home projects and in their yard, and traveling, especially to places with unique architecture. One of the family’s favorite travel memories is a whale watching trip they took while on vacation in Washington. Welcome to the Michigan Sugar family, Rick! #EmployeeSpotlight #MakingLifeSweeter #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity #SWEETJOBS #plantyourcareer

VETERAN OF THE MONTH: Congratulations to Tom Harper, Michigan Sugar Company’s Veteran of the Month for May 2024. A Cass City native and 1987 Caro High School graduate, Tom enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1988 after a year of HVAC training following high school. He completed basic training the same year at Fort Dix in New Jersey, now part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Following basic training, Tom deployed to Saudi Arabia for six years as part of Operation Desert Storm, serving as an Ammo Driver for the 4th Battalion 38th Field Artillery Regiment and a Petroleum Specialist for the 417th Quartermaster Company. As a Petroleum Specialist, Tom’s unit was the first to build a pipeline across the desert to connect their blister bags and fuel tanks to a civilian fuel refinery. Their actions wrote the training manual on such a procedure and led to a Presidential Unit Citation. Tom joined Michigan Sugar Company in 2017 as a Lime Kiln Operator. Later, he worked as a Sweeper Leader, and now works as a Chemical Supply Technician at the Caro factory. He resides in Caro and has three children and five grandchildren. In his spare time, Tom enjoys hunting and making memories with his grandchildren. Congratulations, Tom, on being named Veteran of the Month. We thank you for your continued service to our country and our cooperative. To nominate a Michigan Sugar Company employee for Veteran of the Month, send an email to Tyler Kring at tyler.kring@michigansugar.com. #thankyou #veteran #veteranofthemonth

Michigan Sugar Company is at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just east of Dayton, Ohio, today taking part in a military recruiting event. Mariah Johnson (pictured), Amanda Stolicker, and Monte Ackerman are representing the company and looking forward to speaking with potential job candidates. #plantyourcareer #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity #SWEETJOBS #MakingLifeSweeter

HISTORY MADE: Michigan Sugar Company is proud to announce the start-up of its new molasses desugarization facility in Bay City. Nearly four years in the making - from conception, to engineering, to construction, to start-up - the new MDS facility came online around noon today. The 22,000-square-foot facility will allow Michigan Sugar to process 100% of the molasses produced as a byproduct of the sugar extraction process. "Desugaring" all of the molasses will allow Michigan Sugar to produce up to an additional 80 million pounds of pure, all-natural sugar annually without planting another acre of sugarbeets. Before the facility, Michigan Sugar Company had the capacity to extract additional sugar from 60% of its molasses. Now, the company expects to process as much as 650 tons of molasses daily, up from the previous amount of 325 tons per day. "We want to commend the team that has overseen this incredible project, as well as the countless contractors who had a part in building this state-of-the-art facility," said Neil Juhnke, President and CEO of Michigan Sugar. "We note the 160,000+ safe working hours this team achieved along the way. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to quality and safety - two things that should always to together." Nick Klein, Michigan Sugar's Vice President of Operations, added: "This new facility is more than just a place of production - it is a symbol of innovation, efficiency, and progress. We have cutting-edge technology and a dedicated team that will be taking this factory to its 650 tons-per-day molasses processing rate over the next several weeks. Huge thanks to our shareholders, employees, and contractors whose commitment to this project has delivered a world-class operation and sustainability for the future." #MakingLifeSweeter #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Meet Heather Clark, Michigan Sugar Company's new Director of Talent Development. A native of Holland, Michigan, Heather graduated from Holland High School in 1983 and went on to earn her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in economics from Albion College in 1987, and her master's degree in science administration with a concentration in human resource management from Central Michigan University in 2000. Heather began her professional career in 1988 working as a Marketing Assistant for CMI, a computer hardware leasing company, in West Bloomfield. From 1990 to 2000, she worked for EDS in Troy, first in a recruiting role and later in a global human resources position focused on corporate training and facilitation. In 2001, she joined the team at Thyssenkrupp Materials North America, a metals distribution company in Southfield. She spent 23 years there as a human resources professional working in the areas of human resources management, project management, training, leadership development, and coaching. Heather is also a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. She said she was drawn the job at Michigan Sugar Company because she finds the work interesting and sees an opportunity to make an immediate impact. "I like the culture of the people," she said. "They are hungry, passionate, professional, and they want excellence. There are new projects and new programs to put in place and I like the challenge of starting from the ground up." Heather now lives in Lapeer, but is in the process of moving to the Great Lakes Bay Region with her cat named Bonnie. She has a 21-year-old son named Douglas who serves in the U.S. Air Force and is stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time outdoors, especially on the water, gardening, and community service work. She previously was a mentor for elementary students in the Detroit area through an organization called Tutor Tree. She also has a deep love of animals as both her father and grandfather were veterinarians. Welcome to the Michigan Sugar family, Heather! #employeespotlight #PlantYourCareer #SWEETJOBS #MakingLifeSweeter #CreatingGrowthandOpportunity