2023 Global Sales Meeting

Authors: Sandra Richter and Nancy Veno

Purple Heart Award
Courage Under Fire

Michael Hua

Current Position: General Manager, China
Location: Asia Pacific

Al Swerdlick Annual WE CARE Award

Named after Al Swerdlik who worked for Oil-Dri for over 50 years and truly exemplified our long history of individuals caring about the company, fellow teammates and customers.

**Shawn Feeney**

Current Position: Director of Procurement
Location: Chicago, IL
Nominated by: Aaron Christiansen

Nomination for:

Lesson Learned #14: “Set Clear Goals and Objectives”

Over the course of FY22 and early FY23, Oil-Dri working capex increased by -$17MM – a 72% increase. There were many factors for the increase – inflated cost of materials, longer material lead-times, and considerable uncertainty in the market. The requirement for cash had becoming highly problematic.

Shawn was assigned the task of helping to drive a substantial reduction in Working Capex for Materials and SMOG. Neither are explicitly within his area of control and responsibility – both are highly cross-functional. Shawn has approached the task aggressively, but methodically. Despite the task clearly not being solely able to be delivered within Procurement on one than one occasion Shawn has said “I’ve been given a goal, I’m going to deliver it.”

Over the past 4 months alone – Material/Supply Inventory is down nearly $3MM. This is approaching a 20% reduction. In addition to driving Material reductions, Shawn continues to drive SMOG which has driven further cash availability. With work already done, we fully expect Material Inventory to continue to decline in the coming months even further.

The work to deliver this Working Capex reduction has required many other people to be involved. However, Shawn’s leadership and passion for the improvement has been instrumental.

Forever More, the Buzz Lightyear,
Two Through Infinity And Beyond Award

Named in honor of Eddie Elam who joined in January 1977 and dedicated over 44 years of his life to Oil-Dri; helping us Create Value from Sorbent Minerals in a myriad of roles.

**Lee Knight**

**Eddie Elam Manufacturing Winner**
Current Position: Verge Supervisor
Location: Ripley, MS
Nominated by: Elliott Grace

Nominated for:

WE CARE Value “Excellence”

In December of 2021, Lee moved back to Ripley to fulfill the familiar role of Verge Supervisor after having spent a year at Blue Mountain overseeing the Processing group. This was a strategic move due to the upcoming Verge Expansion and the need for Lee’s expertise and leadership within the Verge process.

Project construction was complete by mid-Summer and ready for commissioning. It was at this stage in the project where the team really relied on and leveraged Lee’s processing knowledge. There were many challenges encountered along the way (too many to list here), but Lee always stepped in to help and provide direction, despite having his own set of challenges keeping the existing plant staffed and operating. He suffered through many long, hot, dusty, and tiresome days and sometimes even longer nights dealing with the challenges of having a relatively new staff. He never said no and was always quick to offer a helping hand.

In the first few months he managed to help the commissioning team get over numerous challenges and by the fall Verge was breaking records.

Here are some of the highlights from Lee’s leadership and support during the commissioning work:

New daily production record in October, producing 70 tons in 24 hours
Weekly production record of 401 tons in November
Monthly record of 1,410 tons produced/packaged in November (beating record of 1,313 tons set in month prior).

Lee has been with Verge since the plant was originally commissioned. Anyone that works alongside him will see that he has strong desire in seeing Verge succeed. He has a timeless dedication that is infectious and makes others around him better. Verge would not be where it is today with Lee Knight, and I want to thank him for all his support along the way.

**Tom Cofsky**

**Non-Manufacturing Winner**
Current Position: VP, Global Infrastructure
Location: Chicago, IL
Nominated by: Michelle Hueser

Nominated for:

Tom Cofsky stands as a beacon of stability and reliability in the ever-evolving landscape of our company. His extensive experience, amassed over the course of 36 years, has proven to be an invaluable resource, especially when it comes to navigating complex system problems, changes, and improvements. In a world where technology and business practices are in a constant state of flux, Tom serves as a guiding light, leveraging his deep knowledge to provide solutions that have consistently elevated our operations.

One of Tom's most remarkable attributes is his ability to seamlessly blend his historical perspective with an innovative outlook. He possesses an uncanny knack for understanding the roots of our company's systems, processes, and culture, allowing him to discern the best ways to address challenges while keeping an eye on the future. His insights have often proven to be the cornerstone of successful system upgrades and improvements, ensuring that our organization stays not only current but ahead of the curve.

What truly sets Tom apart is his willingness to go above and beyond. He's not just a passive observer of change; he's an active participant who dives deep into the heart of any issue, collaborates with teams across various departments, and emerges with solutions that not only fix immediate problems but also provide a platform for sustained growth. His dedication to ensuring that every solution is holistic, sustainable, and tailored to our company's unique needs is a testament to his remarkable work ethic and commitment to excellence.

Just to cite a few examples of specific things that Tom led or has actively been involved in this past year – which have directly impacted our ability to service our customers:

Tom led a small team within Operations to help identify and execute improvements in Ripley Fine Ag throughput – leading directly to improved service for D4
Tom has been highly involved in securing Clay from Active Minerals to grow our capacity for Division 5
Tom has been truly instrumental across the entire organization in preparing for Code Current – and modernizing the system that runs our business.

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