Corn Capital Team

Meet Our New Production Supervisor – Eric Zempel

What do farming and hair braiding have in common? Eric Zempel, the new Production Supervisor here at Corn Capital Innovations!

Eric Knows Farming

Eric Zempel, Production SupervisorEric grew up on a farm between Morgan and Franklin, Minnesota with his two older and one younger sister. His family farmed corn and soybeans.

He graduated from Cedar Mountain High School then continued his education at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. While there he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resources with an emphasis on Law Enforcement and Management. After graduating Eric attended Alexandria Technical College in Alexandria, MN and received his Law Enforcement Skills Training.

Eric started working for Monsanto Pre-Foundation in Redwood Falls, MN as a seasonal employee, until 2012 when he was hired as a full-time seed technician. He currently resides in Danube with his wife, Amy, and dog, Diesel. During his free time Eric enjoys helping his father farm; he also enjoys spending time hunting and fishing.

Eric in the Hot Seat

We felt it was only fair to turn up the heat and put the newbie in the hot seat by asking him a few tough questions. Please enjoy his answers, and a few comments from the peanut gallery, with us!

Question #1: What is your favorite part about working at CCI so far?

My favorite part of working at CCI is being able to interact with the customers and working with a great group of people. (He answered this one perfectly, maybe too perfectly!)

Question #2: What is your favorite tractor?

I don’t really have a favorite tractor. I grew up on a farm that had a majority of red tractors, but a few green ones too. I guess one that works is my favorite. Haha! I do enjoy older restored tractors, just seeing how far technology has come is quite impressive. But you can say that I do like both Case IH and John Deere. (Good call on the safe answer, this could’ve been a deal breaker!)

Question #3: Do you have a favorite memory of growing up on the farm?

My favorite memory on the farm would have to be coming home from school in the fall and going to sit in either the combine or the tractor and ride around for several hours with my parents. Then being taught by my parents how to operate the equipment as I got older. (Wow! I think we can all agree with that!)

Question #4: Can you tell us something unique or funny about yourself?

This is a tough question to answer. I think that I would have to say that since I grew up with three sisters, I have the ability to braid hair and put it up in a bun. Also I have the ability to sew, including putting in zippers, adding seams and attaching buttons. (This will come in handy around the office when we’re having a bad hair day or a wardrobe emergency!)

Meet Eric in Person

Feel free to stop by Corn Capital Innovations and meet Eric in person. He’ll be in the warehouse making sure everything is organized, accurate, and running smoothly. You might also spot him working in the field with seed plots and agronomy practices. Please contact us if you have any questions, or click here to meet more members of our growing team.

How do you think Eric did in the hot seat? Add your peanut gallery comments below.