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| Gerber's Poultry, Inc. | Hingle Company, Inc. | Orrville Chick Hatchery, Inc. |
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The Management Team
D. Michael Gerber – President: Mike has been associated with the company throughout his career,
having worked in every phase of the operation, including overseeing the rapid growth of the
company during the 1980's and early 1990's. Mike was responsible for initiating the changes that
resulted in the development of a live chicken operation (Hingle Company) to supply Gerber’s
Poultry and the building of the Orrville Chick Hatchery. He is currently responsible for coordinating
the operation of the Chick Hatchery, Hingle, and Gerber Poultry. Mike spends his time analyzing
market conditions and changes and their affect on company growth and direction. Mike has recently
served as President of The Ohio Poultry Association for 1996 and 1997 and more recently on their
Board. Mike is also active with the U.S. Poultry Association serving on their Board of Directors.
Timothy L. Gerber - Vice President: Tim has also been associated with the company throughout his
career. Having benefited from experiencing the changes associated with growth, Tim has helped to
establish new operation procedures resulting in a more efficient plant operation. Currently his
responsibilities include: quality control, product and market development and additional product
purchases.
John R. Metzger, CPA – Controller: John joined the Gerber’s organization in November 1996.
John’s style is not that of a “typical” accountant; and this is, in part, what makes his input
so valuable. John is a “hands-on” person and has made it a goal to gain a complete understanding
of the processing operation. He is a valuable resource for other team members and supervisors and
provides the financial perspective on operational issues. John’s experience includes several years
in the medical field, experience in the purchasing field with a local food processor, and several
years of accounting and financial experience in the food service industry. John obtained his
Bachelor of Business Administration from Kent State University and he is a Certified Public
Accountant. His current responsibilities at Gerber’s Poultry encompass all areas of finance and
overseeing the activities of the Human Resource and Safety Departments. John is a member of the
Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, The American Institute of Certified Accountants and
the American Management Association.
Jonas Miller - Hatchery Manager: Jonas joined the Gerber’s organization in January, 1991, bringing
with him much experience gained through the years he spent as the manager for Case Farms’ hatchery.
He strives for excellence in hatchery operation through his attention to detail, consistent operational
procedures, good management practices, and his high performance expectations for our egg suppliers. His
performance expectations have paid off in excellent results. Our hatchery consistently out-produces industry
averages, much in part, to Jonas’ direction.
Larry Neuenschwander - Grow-Out / Live Haul Manager: Larry has been with the Gerber operation since February
1989. It has been said that Gerber Poultry has the best growers in the business. The quality of the growers
combined with leadership and guidance make the Grow-Out program an unbeatable operation. A grower himself,
Larry develops the guidelines and procedures used at the farms to assure that our birds are properly cared for.
In addition, he evaluates the feeding programs and monitors the health and development of the chickens. He
arranges the processing schedules and supervises the live haul drivers.
Barry Livingston – Sales Marketing Manager: Barry has worked in the Poultry Industry for over 30 years.
He started as a warehouseman loading trucks at Case Egg & Poultry when his uncle operated the business.
From there at Case, he moved onto driving truck for the distribution center, then a sales representative,
then buyer and complex coordinator, then finally Sales Manager for the Case operation. He moved on Seaboard
Farms in Orlando, Florida where he was the General Manager of their Distribution Center. He moved on to
Seaboard’s Athens, Georgia Tray Pack Plant as Sales Manager. Eventually he found his way back to the
Ohio area where he is today. Three things can sum up what Barry has learned about being successful in the
Poultry Industry:
1. Produce a high quality product.
2. Treat your customers as you would like to be treated.
3. Treat your fellow workers as you would like to be treated.
And guess what? Gerber Poultry is trying their best to fulfill these requirements. We constantly receive
compliments directly from consumers about how good our chicken tastes and thanking us for providing such a
healthy, wholesome chicken. It makes you feel good about what you are doing.
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