Employee

Recommen
dation
Report
Recommended
Employee: Chris
Haroldson

Takashi Tsuda
Takashi Tsuda
ENGL320
7/21/10

Employee Recommendation Report

Recommended Employee: Chris Haroldson

Prepared for English 320

By Takashi Tsuda
Distributed July 26, 2010
 Table of Contents

Table of Contents……………………………………………………………...ii

List of Figures………………………………………………………………...iii

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………..iv

Introduction……………………………………………………………………1

Three Employers and Positions………………………………………………..1

Debruce Grain, Inc……………………………………………………...1

Creative Energy, Inc……………………………………………………2

First International Bank and Trust……………………………………...3

Summary of the Employers and Job Description………………………4

Client’s Preference…………………………………………………………….5

Comparison……………………………………………………………………5

Conclusion and Recommendation……………………………………………..6

Reference………………………………………………………………………7

ii
 List of Figures

Figure 1: Company Profile.................................................................................4

Figure 2: Summary of Job Description………………………………………..4

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Executive Summary

Employee Recommendation Report: Takashi Tsuda’s recommendation to Chris

Haroldson

With the request from the client, this report suggests which job offer is the best choice for
his future career.

Chris Haroldson’s current situation:

Chris Haroldson will graduate from North Dakota State University with a Bachelor’s
degree in University Studies in May 2011. Chris has been offered job positions from three
different employers; Debruce Grain, Inc., First International Bank and Trust, and Creative
Energy, Inc.

My Objectives:

My primary objective is to conduct research on each employer, analyze the collected

information and provide a recommendation which option is the best fit for the client.

My Methods:

 Collect as much information about the employers as possible from any accessible
sources
 Conduct interview to understand the client’s personality and preferences
 Compare and analyze the information collected to generate the best fit position for
the client

My recommendation:

After the research and analysis of the information regarding the employers, client and other
related subjects, my recommendation for Chris is to accept the job offer from First
International Bank and Trust. The offered position is Agricultural Lender responsible for
evaluation, recommendation and authorization for approval of agricultural loans under the
directions of senior staff. The company and job function have the most balanced and closest
qualities that Chris will demand in terms of work environment, in-depth interactions with
customers and benefits.

iv
Introduction:

When job seekers try to select jobs that are best-fit for them, sufficient and useful
information about the employers should be collected and analyzed along with their
preferences, qualifications and personalities for their decision-making. This report will
illustrate the comparisons between obtainable information about each employer and your
preferences. Ultimately the report will offer recommendation for which job opening is the
most suitable for you. Three job postings you have been offered are; Debruce Grain, Inc,
Greative Energy, Inc, and First and International Bank and Trust. All three jobs are related
to the agricultural field which is also your major interest; however, there are still many
different factors to take into consideration based on your preferences.

Three Employers and Positions:

Debruce Grain, Inc.

Debruce Grain is the biggest company among the three job openings. Headquartered in
Kansas City, Missouri, there are DeBruce Grain Inc., DeBruce Fertilizer Inc., DeBruce
Transportation Inc., DeBruce Feed Ingredients, Inc., as well as other divisions for
financing, accounting, computer operation and so forth. As ranked 56th on the Forbes 500
list of private companies, it has large scale operations of grain handling facilities, fertilizer
distribution networks, feed mills, bean crushing firms and fertilizer retailing operations
throughout the Midwest, holding a huge storage capacity in excess of 140 million bushels
(Debruce Grain, Inc. 2010). Debruce Grain, Inc appears to have more accessible
information and exposure to Media by looking at its size and status.

According to the articles, Debruce Grain has been growing by expanding their connections
with other businesses such as the agreement of Cargill to offer technical and marketing
support for Debruce Grain (Doane Information Service, 2003), and by purchasing new
facilities and storages in Dimmitt, Texas, Lake Mill and Iowa (BNET, 2005). Normally
large companies deal with lawsuits such as claims regarding noise, odor or other
annoyances that companies might produce in a neighboring community and Debruce Grain
is also not an exception. There was a court case regarding to an explosion accident that
occurred in a grain elevator in Wichita in 1998, causing seven deaths of the employee and a
dozen injured (Alm, 2001). It settled most of the claims of the victims in 2001; however,
other complaints from neighboring community exist. One example is dust complaints
including wheat chaffs and other debris released from the facility to neighboring areas
(Unruh, 2003). Thus, there are some incidents or conflicts that might affect Debruce
Grain’s public image.

Debruce Grain’s philosophy for their employees expects all employees is that all employees
should assume their responsibility at every level of positions, and encourages
communication and feedback between employees from all directions to improve the quality

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of the company. Also, their objectives of attitudes toward customers focus on the quality of
services and information they offer to the customers through working with them
cooperatively and faithfully (Debruce Grain Inc, 2010).

Regarding to the job position, Debruce Grain is offering an agronomy sales position
responsible for working with farm customers through the Ag Services retail arm of
DeBruce Fertilizer, providing comprehensive crop input service ranging from agronomy
support, fertilizer application and crop protection. The required qualification is a bachelor’s
degree in Agronomy, Agricultural Business or Finance.

The possible salary averages about $42,719 with $20,000 to $55,000 in the field of
agricultural business/finance (University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and
Natural Resources, 2008). More appropriate estimates can be from $20,000 to around since
the position is not an upper level one. Also, it varies depending on locations of the
workplace and the exact estimate of the salary is impossible since the job opening only
shows the Midwest as the location of the workplace.

Creative Energy, Inc.

Creative Energy, Inc. is a locally owned member cooperative that covers southern half area
of North Dakota. They deal not only with agronomy but also construction, manufacturing,
trucking, refined fuels and lubricants. A large part of the business is distribution of refined
fuels to farm and service station transport loads and to home heating. They recognize that
their critical customer base has been agricultural customers for their success despite the
challenges they are facing with the decline of agricultural gallons caused by fewer farms
and larger equipments making fewer trips over the field (Creative Energy Company, 2010).

The position offered from Creative Energy is an agronomist position responsible for sales
and support of soil management and production of field crops through recommendations on
applications of fertilizer, crop protections and seeds. The position will be in a leadership
role in the Agronomy Department of Creative Energy, Inc. The required qualifications are a
Bachelor’s degree in Weed & Crop Science, related certification, proficiency in Microsoft
Office business management and leadership skills.

The possible salary of the agronomist position can range from $35,000 to $47,000 with an
average of $41,600 (University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural
Resources, 2008). The location of the workplace is South Heart, ND, where the cost of
living is almost the same as Fargo, except for its cheaper utility expense (Payscale, 2010).

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First and International Bank and Trust

First and International Bank and Trust is an independent community bank offering general
financial services such as banking, insurance, mortgage, and both personal and business
loans. Stable growth and continued existence of the company is illustrated by its long
history since 1910 and the fact that it has kept expanding especially since 1993 to the
present through openings of new offices throughout North Dakota and some other offices in
Arizona and Minnesota with its headquarter in Watford City, North Dakota (First
International Bank and Trust, 2010). Although it’s not as big as major banks in the U.S,
high quality and more interactive nature of their services are reflected from the statement of
the bank president John Drady, "We have all the services of a Wells Fargo, but we have the
small town feel. People know your name when you walk through the door (Pandil-Eaton,
2010).”

Agricultural lender position in Minot, ND is offered from the company and major
responsibility is to manage and develop new business opportunities in agricultural field
under directions of senior lending staff. The position works with customers to support
approval of commercial and agricultural loans through evaluation, recommendation and
authorization. Comprehensive benefit package will be offered for the position that covers
various benefits ranging from medical plan, life insurance, AD&D insurance, wellness,
flexible benefit plan, 401(k) profit sharing plan, employee discounts, school/seminar
reimbursement and so forth (First International Bank and Trust, 2010).

The possible salary will be an average of $36,422 ranging from $24,000 to $54,000
depending on level of the position in the field of agricultural finance/lending. Similar to
other job openings, it will be appropriate to estimate $24,000 to $36,422 because of the
level of the position. Taken into account the cost of living in Minot, overall cost of living is
5% lower than that of Fargo. Even though housing cost is 6% higher than Fargo, other
categories are less expensive such as health care and utility (Payscale, 2010).

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Summary of the Employers and Job Description

First International
Debruce Grain, Inc. Creative Energy, Inc.
Bank & Trust
HQ Location Kansas City, MO Watford City, ND Jamestown, ND
 Large-scale  Middle-sized  Small-scale
 Multiple companies  Branches throughout
Size throughout the ND, some branches in
Midwest Arizona and
Minnesota
Employee 500 – 999 300 5–9
 Nationwide,  Local oriented  Local oriented
international  Banking & financial  Coop
 Comprehensive services  Distribution of
Feature operations and supports  Commercial & refined fuels
related to grain, feed, agricultural loans throughout ND
bean crushing, fertilizer
distribution & trading
Figure 1: Company profile.

Debruce Grain, Inc
Position Agronomy Sales
 Ag services for farm
customers which
include crop input
services such as
agronomy support,
fertilizer application,
Job functions & crop protection and so
responsibilities forth
 Support crop planning,
disease management,
consultation, etc
 Assist sales and service
plans, and budget
management
 Salary estimate:
$20,000 to $55,000,
average $42,719
Possible benefits
Figure 2: Summary of job description.
First International
Creative Energy, Inc
Bank & Trust
Agricultural Lender Agronomist
 Management and  Sales and support for
development of new soil management and
businesses in crop production
agricultural field  Recommendations on
 Evaluation, application of
recommendation, fertilizer, chemical
authorization for for crop protection,
approval of seeds management
commercial and and custom
agricultural loans applications
 Salary estimate:  Salary estimate:
$24,000 - $54,000, $35,000 - $47,000,
average $36,422 average $41,600
 Medical plan, flexible
benefit plan
 health club,
school/seminar
reimbursement
 401(k) profit sharing
plan

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Preference:

According to the responses for the questionnaire and the interview, your interests in types
of job are largely in agricultural field by looking at three job openings you chose
(Haroldson, 2010). These openings illustrate their job functions as supporting farm
customers by offering services such as agriculture loan, evaluation, recommendation, and
authorization of application of fertilizer, soil and crop protections and so on.

Another focus is a working environment where interactions with customers and business
people are very active and where the products or services being utilized are visible, rather
than working at the desk the whole day. You show strong interests in direct interactions
with customers in the agricultural field and one-on-one communication that provides direct
and genuine support for the accomplishment and success of customers. Also, you prefer a
work environment where team work is important for the company’s success and services
they offer for accomplishment of their customers. Your idea also explains that hardworking
and cooperative nature of workplace to improve their services is favored. In regards to
benefits, salary is negotiable depending on the level of job he will receive, and other
benefits such as 401k, health insurance and other retirement options are preferred if
available.

Comparison:

Overall, the three positions are commonly responsible for working with customers in the
agricultural field, supporting them through consultation, evaluation, crop protection and
planning for their sound agricultural activities. A cooperative manner will be necessary for
these tasks. These tasks don’t always require the employees to work at their desk all the
time, which you want to avoid. Aside from these similarities, the comparison of your
preferences with the Table 1 and 2 illustrated earlier, take into consideration the balance of
how much job responsibility you will be willing to have and how many benefits you prefer
the employers bring to you.

Your preferences and interests suggest that the locations and hours of work are not really
big concerns and the focus is more on what you will work on, with whom, and the
hardworking, interactive environment of the workplace. Although each position will
interact with customers very frequently, each company has a different size and number of
employees and customer bases, thus depth and breadth of interaction with customers can
different. As you favor an in-depth and visible relationship with customers, First
International Bank and Trust or Creative Energy seems to be more suitable because of their
locally oriented nature and close relationship with local peoples who are their clients.

For benefits of each position, the information collected suggest that First International Bank
and Trust would offer those that most closely fit with your preference because they offer a
similar estimated salary and other benefits such as 401k, life insurance and flexible benefit

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plans. Also by looking at the stability of each company, First International Bank and Trust
shows successful survival for a century and the impression of its stability appears to be
prominent. Therefore, based on the comparison of benefits and preferences above, First
International Bank and Trust seems to be the most appealing and balanced option for you.

Conclusion and Recommendation:

Although limited access to each company’s information did not allow for perfect analysis,
the best recommendation based on the data collected is made. Through the research on each
position and your preferences and comparison with them in the last section, an Agricultural
Lender position in First International Bank and Trust became the most recommended
option. Since other factors such as cost of living in each workplace, estimated salary, and
responsibilities don’t have very big differences, the main focus of selection is potential
levels of interaction with customers, work environment and benefits from each employer.
Its community-oriented feature that involves thorough interaction with customers in the
agricultural field and the various benefits offered by First International Bank and Trust
appears to be the best fit for you.

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References

Website:

Agriculture & Industry Survey. (2005). [Untitled photograph of agriculture]. Retrieved

from http://www.agricultureinformation.com/mag/wp-
content/uploads/2009/01/agri.jpg
Alm, R. (2001). North Kansas City, Mo.-Based Grain Firm Settles Most Claims from
Accident. Retrieved from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5553/is_200106/ai_n21511780/
BNET. (2010). Debruce Grain, Inc. Retrieved from
http://resources.bnet.com/topic/debruce+grain+inc..html
-----. (2005). Debruce Grain, Inc.(Additions, Acquisitions). Retrieved from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4763/is_200510/ai_n17353340/?tag=content
-inner;col1
Country Journal Publishing, Co. (2006). “Debruce Grain, Inc. DeBruce Grain. Inc.
Announces Expansion of Grain Facility in Owensboro, KY.” Retrieved from
http://www.grainnet.com/articles/DeBruce_Grain__Inc__Announces_Expansion_of
_Grain_Facility_in_Owensboro__KY-36205.html
Creative Energy Company. (2010). Bloom Oil: About Us. Retrieved from
http://www.bloomoil.com/index.html?PAGE_ID=22
Debruce Grain, Inc. (2010). Employee videos. Retrieved on July 11, 2010, at
http://www.debruce.com/videos/
-----. (2010). Career. Retrieved from
http://www.debruce.com/careers/
Doane Information Service. (2003). Cargill Animal Nutrition, Minneapolis, and DeBruce
Grain Inc., Kansas City, Mo., enter into an agreement, under which Cargill will
provide technical and marketing support to five DeBruce locations in southwest
Iowa. Retrived from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3147/is_7_41/ai_n29019678/
First International Bank and Trust. (2010). Benefits. Retrieved from
http://www.firstintlbank.com/Benefits.aspx
-----. (2010). Ag lender -employment-. Retrieved from
http://www.firstintlbank.com/EmploymentDisplay.aspx?ID=64&City=8&State=Al
-----. (2010). Company Information & History. Retrieved from
http://www.firstintlbank.com/AboutUs.aspx
Haroldson, C. (2010, July 13). Classmate in ENGL320, North Dakota State University.
Interview.
JobHQ. (2010). Creative Energy, Inc. Retrieved from
http://www.jobshq.com/search/index.cfm?
page=summary&id=1110707&company_id=11&category=AGRICULTURE
Pandil-Eaton, W. (2010). First International Bank Celebrates Centennial. Retrieved from
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/539346.html?nav=5002

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Payscale. (2010). Cost of Living Calculator: Cost of living in Minot, ND. Retrieved from
http://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/North-Dakota-Minot/North-
Dakota-Fargo
Unruh, T. (2003). Dust Complaints Continue over Abilene, Kan., Grain Terminal.
Retrieved from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5553/is_200311/ai_n22006689/
University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. (2008). Salary
Results. Retrieved from
http://cafnr.missouri.edu/career-services/salary-results.pdf