When Janice Pochinski first joined POET Bioprocessing – Gowrie in 2006, she was a lab technician at a brand-new bioethanol plant.
Today, as the facility celebrates 20 years in operation, she serves as its general manager.
Over the last two decades, Pochinski has worked as the quality manager, served with the Sioux Falls quality team, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology of Agriculture from Iowa State University, as well as an MBA from Columbia Southern University. She is currently working on a Ph.D. in business administration with an emphasis in organizational leadership.
But Pochinski’s career reflects more than professional advancement. It’s the result of a culture where people invest in one another, both personally and professionally, and the whole team ends up benefiting.
“I worked at a manufacturing facility briefly after high school, where I was nothing more than a number,” she said. “At POET, I am part of a team and a family that truly cares about one another.”
That sense of belonging has become one of the defining characteristics of POET – Gowrie and its role as part of the one POET team.
More than a workplace
POET – Gowrie employs 43 people, and while everyone has their job title, the boundaries between roles are anything but rigid.
“Regardless of position, we all support one another. There is no ‘it’s not our job,’ and we jump in when needed,” Pochinski said.
Maintenance Manager Dallas Anderson sees that camaraderie firsthand in his department.
“They all work great together. Each one brings something a little different to maintenance, and they have fun while working with each other, and when an issue arises, they don’t stop until the repair is figured out and completed,” he said.
Like Pochinski, Anderson has been at POET since 2006, and he says that the team has only grown closer over time.
“Looking back on the last 20 years, our team today, from my perspective, has been one of the strongest teams we have ever had,” he said.
Plant Engineer Julius Sloop has been at POET – Gowrie for just over a year and says he has always felt comfortable asking questions to better understand the facility and
his role.
“You can ask anyone, and they’ll drop what they’re doing to come help you,” he said. “It’s a tight-knit crew.”
It’s an environment that fosters a sense of belonging and commitment that people don’t always find elsewhere. In fact, some people have even left the plant and later returned, something Materials Manager Luke Stauber points to as a testament to the distinctive culture.
“This is one of those places where there’s a lot of positivity around day-to-day tasks, and that’s not always the case,” he said. “It’s a breath of fresh air for people when they start here — being treated nicely.”
One team across POET
As part of a company with bioprocessing facilities across the country, the POET – Gowrie team regularly relies on the expertise of its colleagues throughout the POET network.
For Sloop, that can mean collaborating with engineers at other facilities and building relationships with the people doing similar work.
“POET believes in a One Team, One POET mentality, which means we’re all one team both within our facility, but also a team with every other facility,” he said.
Stauber gets to see that collaboration from a different vantage point. His role puts him in contact with different parts of POET’s business units, coordinating materials with teams in both Sioux Falls and Wichita while also keeping the Gowrie plant moving.
That can often mean balancing competing priorities.
“That’s where communication, teamwork, and parking your ego at the door comes in,” Stauber said. “Both sides have to win a little bit. It can’t be one steamrolling the other.”
The ability to reach outside the facility for help is another important part of that culture. When Stauber encounters a challenge, he knows there are people across POET who have likely faced the same issue.
For a plant in a small Iowa community, that network means Gowrie is never really operating alone.
Investing in the people doing the work
The same philosophy of trust and collaboration shows up in the team’s approach to improving the plant itself.
Sloop and Stauber have collaborated on projects designed to improve both efficiency and the day-to-day experience of the people doing the work. One recent effort involves hydraulic stingers used to load bioethanol into rail cars, reducing the physical demands of manually raising and lowering the equipment while improving efficiency.
“We support our people, and they give that right back to us,” Sloop said.
That philosophy has also shaped Pochinski’s career over the years.
“I was given the opportunity to lead before I had the credentials because someone rolled the dice on me. And I will continue to pay it forward for the remainder of my career,” she said.
POET supported her as she pursued her education while working full-time. Now, as general manager, she knows those experiences will help her continue contributing to the
company’s future.
Part of Gowrie
The sense of teamwork extends beyond the plant, too.
POET team members participate in community events, volunteer through programs such as Meals on Wheels, support local organizations and schools, and help connect students with careers in agriculture and industry.
The POET – Gowrie team has worked to strengthen POET’s relationships with community organizations as well.
“We’ve really stepped up our efforts there, and a lot of credit goes to Janice for showing the community of Gowrie that we care,” said Stauber.
And for Sloop, building those connections to the community only made Gowrie — both the plant and the town — feel more like home.
He initially rented an apartment in nearby Fort Dodge after joining POET. But after spending time in the community and getting to know more people there, he decided to make a more serious commitment.
In June, he bought a house in Gowrie.
“I love the people here,” he said. “They welcomed me, and the team even got me a housewarming gift.”
After two decades at POET, Pochinski has seen the Gowrie facility and its people change. But one thing has remained constant: the sense that everyone is part of something bigger.
“When a group of people comes together with one common belief and mission, they can really be unstoppable,” Pochinski said. “And that is what we have here at POET – Gowrie.”
