Tom Stiner was born and raised in Wabasha, a town known for the movie \u201cGrumpy Old Men.\u201d Tom is nothing of the sort. He is a team builder.<\/i><\/p>\n
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By: Living a Stout Life<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are a collective of craftsmen devoted to making exceptional malt. We are innovators, designers, scientists, farmers, brewers and artists. We are your link from farm to beer, and we want you to know us as a vital part of the craft beer community. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Malting is our Passion. Quality is our Promise.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Born and raised in Wabasha, a town known for the movie \u201cGrumpy Old Men,\u201d Tom is nothing of the sort. Instead, he\u2019s the guy that goes out of his way to ensure that his friends have everything they need to have a good time in a place he loves.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And that kindness extends into his work life. Working at the Winona plant, a mere 30 miles from Tom\u2019s hometown, since 1982, Tom has been dedicated to quality malts. But more than that, he is dedicated to his entire team at the Winona Plant and Malteruop.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Spending his entire life in northern Minnesota, Tom has a strong sense of place, and values teamwork in all that he does. A young athlete, he loved high school sports. Maybe that\u2019s where his dedication stemmed from. Or maybe it\u2019s the mere fact that he is surrounded by a place he loves.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s many beautiful places in the world, and this area – the beauty of it – is as good as anywhere else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wherever it originated from, here at Malteurop, we\u2019re grateful for it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With over 40 years of experience in both the agricultural and malting industry, Tom\u2019s education comes directly from hands-on experience. Working his way up from cleaning railcars, he ultimately performed every job in the plant, becoming a part of the management team in 1999 as an elevator supervisor.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But this journey up the ladder didn\u2019t come easy. To enhance his computer and technological skills, he enrolled in vocational-tech classes. To learn all he could about malt, he engrossed himself in Malteurop\u2019s intensive malting courses. And to embed himself in the culture of the malthouse, he didn\u2019t aim to solely become the Plant Manager – his goal was much greater than that – it was to be a part of a team.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2002, he became Winona\u2019s Assistant Plant Manager. In 2015, Malteurop continued to recognize Tom\u2019s dedication and knowledge. He was made Winnipeg\u2019s Plant Manager, where, in less than a year, he created a trusted team of employees.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not one to be gone long from his home town area, Tom resumed his post becoming Plant Manager at the Winona Plant, alongside the Winnipeg Plant. For five years, Tom managed both.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today, you\u2019ll find <\/span>Kevin Kull<\/u><\/span><\/a> at the helm in Winnipeg and Tom in Winona. Both are dedicated to crafting the quality malts that have come to be expected from any Malteurop malthouse. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done it all at the Winona plant that\u2019s for sure. I\u2019ve worked every job and I\u2019ve done it all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But, believe it or not, malting was not Tom\u2019s first choice. Working in the lumber industry at a young age, he had plans after high school to be a lumber grader. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But as plans often do, they changed when Tom heard about a well-paying job at the local malthouse. We\u2019ll let him tell you how he landed that job fresh out of high school.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t see myself standing on lumber the rest of my life, so I thought I would take a look. So I stalked the hiring person and told him, \u2018I\u2019m your next employee,\u2019 and was hired on the spot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being in the agriculture industry working for family in grain elevators at the ripe young age of 12, his on-the-spot hiring story comes as no surprise to us.<\/span><\/p>\n Tom may have started in the malting industry because wages were good, but we had to know why he stayed.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMalteurop has always been good to their employees and has always been a good employer. It\u2019s that and, for me, the ability to learn and move into different roles. That\u2019s what keeps me here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He goes on to say, \u201cMalteurop is a great company to work for. They care about their employees. The wages that we pay and the benefits we pay represent that. I think that’s important to be said.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s also his day to day tasks that keep him motivated in his decades at the Winona Plant. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Beginning his day at five a.m. so he can meet with his third shift employees is not a requirement, but it\u2019s one way Tom builds rapport with every single one of his employees.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meeting with the management team soon after, they work together to plan what\u2019s being loaded and produced that day. They also work together to continually plan for the future, working on yearly and long term goals, ensuring that each goal is being addressed and met.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\nAbout Malteurop Malting Company (MMC)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Meet Tom Stiner<\/span><\/h3>\n
What is your educational background? <\/span><\/h3>\n
How did you decide to be a plant manager for a malting company?<\/span><\/h3>\n
What does your average day look like?<\/span><\/h3>\n