Not Afraid of Hard Work
Not Afraid of Hard Work
Milling Operative of the Year award recipient Justin Barrett does what it takes to make mills run their best
While Justin Barrett was surprised to be named the 2024 Milling Operative of the Year, he had already decided 19 years ago that the recognition would be his someday.
“I remember sitting at the banquet in 2005 and listening to the presentation about miller of the year. I said to myself and my peers, ‘One day I’m going to be on that stage, I can do this,’” says Barrett, who got his moment at this year’s IAOM Annual Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah.
It wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last goal that Barrett will achieve due to his willingness to work hard and his expertise that peers say makes him a top-notch director of technical milling at Ardent Mills.
“There’s a lot of unbelievable millers who have won this award prior to me. I really am humble and truly thankful that I’ve given as much as I can to the industry and to my craft,” Barrett says. “It’s only been 21 years, and I hope it’s at least 21 more years before I say my career in milling is over.”
Barrett’s dedication to working hard started in his childhood growing up on a farm in central Kansas. He knew his future was in agriculture and discovered milling science when he started at Kansas State University.
“I saw a bright future with this niche industry and understood that if I was willing to take the time to learn and apply myself, this was something that I could spend a lifetime doing,” he says.
Barrett’s entire career starting in 2002 after graduation has been with ConAgra Foods, and then Ardent Mills, spanning facilities from Nebraska to Pennsylvania and Texas. He worked his way up from milling trainee to one of three technical millers for Ardent Mills, overseeing 10 facilities in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
“I realized that to be a good miller, it was evident you need to have so many of the same values that I learned as a young man on the farm,” he says. “So, for me, milling felt like home. It was long hours, tough nights, sometimes, and long weekends but at the end of the day, when you fix something or got the plant back up and running, it was a feeling of accomplishment that came over me.”
To make those improvements happen, Barrett is willing to go the extra mile, and take the lead on big jobs, says Scott Martin, director of technical milling at Ardent Mills, who has worked with Barrett since 2003.
“He is willing to take the lead on big jobs during mill stoppages and makes plans so that the team he leads can be effective,” Martin says. “If the work isn’t going as planned or obstacles are encountered, he can change course as needed to get things back on track.”
GETTING STARTED
Barrett traces his strong work ethic back to his years growing up on a farm in central Kansas, helping grow row crops and caring for livestock.
“Much of my young life was spent outdoors, working with livestock, working with farm equipment, and working on equipment,” he says. “I attribute much of whom I am today to the invaluable lessons I learned working and growing up on the farm.”
While he envisioned a career in agriculture, he knew it wouldn’t be on the family farm, which was handed down to his brother. Barrett headed to Kansas State University, where he attended a career fair and learned about milling science.
“I knew right away this field could be an incredible major for me to pursue, but at that time I had no idea it could become my life’s work,” he says. “I have had a very strong interest in all things technical since I could remember. I like to work on things, and learn how to improve the process, or how to fix something.”
With the hands-on learning, time spent at the grain milling lab and an internship, Barrett’s passion for the industry blossomed.
“I saw endless opportunities in milling,” Barrett says. “I was excited by the fact that I could use my upbringing and values I learned, my ability to troubleshoot problems and my understanding of all kinds of equipment.”
After graduating in December 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in milling science operations and a minor in ag business, Barrett started as a milling trainee at ConAgra’s Omaha B Mill. He spent eight months there, learning how to manage the process and what it entailed.
In September 2003 he moved to Martins Creek, Pennsylvania, where he was head miller until 2007. During that time, Barrett faced one of his first career challenges. He was very young and inexperienced but was leading one of the most experienced mill crews at the company. “Leading and managing people is a skill that takes quite some time, almost years to perfect. You can’t really learn it in school; it’s only learned through on-the-job experience,” he says. “I knew for the crew to respect me as a leader, and ultimately for me to be a good manager, I had to understand the mill and the issues that were creating extra work for the team.”
Barrett also knew he would need to work alongside the crew.
“I like to be hands on. I set a precedent that day or night they could always call me, and I would come in and work alongside them to fix whatever breakdown we had,” he says. “My willingness to do that earned their respect
and helped mold me into the leader I am today. There is nothing I would ask someone to do that I wouldn’t do myself.”
Jon Cozad, senior director of elevator and millfeed operations, who first met Barrett in 2014, said he is the hardest working person he knows.
“He works very hard. If we need to reflow the sifters, he’s going to be right there helping do it,” Cozad says. “He’s not just going to say, ‘You guys do it.’”
In 2007, Barrett moved to ConAgra’s facility in Alton, Illinois, to work on an expansion and reflow project. During that time, he not only worked with the equipment, but helped coordinate the job and figure out the best way to accomplish the work at hand.
“Those were very long weeks, months and years that I worked there but that’s when I realized that I could be more than just a head miller,” he says. “I’m proud of the work that we did at that facility in those years.”
He went back to Martins Creek in 2010 and stayed until 2014, about the time Ardent Mills was formed. Barrett moved to Saginaw, Texas, where he was senior head miller of two new milling units that started operation in February of that year.
“It was a great opportunity to see the newest and most modern equipment,” he says.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
In 2017, he started in his current role as one of three directors of technical milling for Ardent Mills, with responsibilities for 10 milling locations. As a technical miller, he helps the mills with projects to maximize yield and production while also developing team members. Barrett enjoys that he can take the best of what he’s seen at one facility and apply it to another.
“For me, I really enjoy the fact that I get to see more locations, get to work with more people and hopefully have more of an impact on the business,” he says. “This is the position that suits me the best. I can still be out on the plant floor, working with my hands, doing some of the day-to-day stuff, and hopefully mentoring as many folks as I get the opportunity to work with.”
One of Barrett’s strengths as a technical miller is his ability to quickly assess and make changes to a mill flow to optimize performance, Martin says. His knowledge and experience are well known within Ardent Mills and with milling equipment vendors.
“While he has a lot of firsthand experience in the milling arena, he continues to show curiosity, regularly seeking out others to ask questions and to understand differing viewpoints,” Martin says. “Justin can show his analysis of the milling issue to the location’s millers, gain their commitment and build their enthusiasm to do the work necessary to resolve the issue. It is easy enough to tell someone, ‘This is the problem, and here is the solution,’ but what makes Justin unique is his ability to create a sense of urgency and excitement among those who must do the work.”
Barrett aims to be at a different plant location three out of four weeks a month, helping with equipment installation, working to improve yield, finding issues within the system and most importantly, helping team members grow and become better millers overall.
“Every plant I visit I strive to mentor our younger and less experienced millers as they work toward becoming a seasoned head miller someday or pursuing additional opportunities within the company,” he says. “I always take the time to listen to what the more experienced head millers have to say because they have a lot of wisdom and knowledge.”
Barrett is known for his collaborative work with the mill’s local team, the Ardent Mills engineering and safety groups, vendors and contractors, Martin says.
“The millers trust his judgment and experience. He is seen as approachable and is always willing to lend a hand even if the area of concern lies outside of the milling space that he owns,” he says. “While the work Justin has done to improve mill flows and install milling equipment will endure, his most lasting legacy will be the millers he develops through working and solving problems together.”
Nelson Aviles-Martinez, who first met Barrett at Saginaw, says he tries to follow the example of Barrett’s work ethic in his day-to-day work and in life.
“Justin is not just a hard worker and a great miller, he is also something else as a person, as a leader and as a mentor,” he says. “He has the ability to connect with you. He has always been supportive and best of all, is the outstanding fun we always have working together.”
In times of stress or frustration, Aviles-Martinez, who is currently maintenance and reliability superintendent for Ardent Mills’ Port Redwing facility, knew Barrett was just a phone call away. “After that call, I always realized how much I liked what I was doing and how much Justin kept me up in those bad days,” he says. “Justin has definitely always been an inspiration to myself to be better every day.”
LASTING LEGACY
While the hands-on aspect attracted Barrett to the milling industry, he also stuck around because of the people, the opportunities and the chance to play a role in helping feed the world. “My favorite part is that you can do something every day to improve the plant, no matter the size or the age. Undoubtedly you can make a small adjustment in order to maximize how the plant is running that day,” he says. “I’m truly the happiest I can ever be when I’m out in the plant working with equipment or working with those head millers because they’re passionate people and they’re very eager to make the plant run better.”
For those considering the milling industry as a career, Barrett says there are so many opportunities with a multitude of paths.
“You can be anything from a plant manager to a sales associate, risk analysis or supply chain management. I would tell anyone thinking about pursuing a career in milling to not think small and find the part of the industry that really excites you and work toward achieving that goal,” he says. “I also tell the young millers to move far away from home the first time, because after that, every move is a step closer to home.”
In his two decades in the industry, Barrett says the biggest change has been the technological advances with equipment that can measure pressure, grinding force, bearing temperatures and more.
“Before, we relied on our senses and the skill of the shift millers, and now, we have all technology that you can monitor from the control room with one person instead of four,” he says.
But he stresses with young millers that you shouldn’t run a flour mill from behind a computer, even as the process gets more automated.
“We’re losing more of the art and science of milling and the shift millers are becoming more like operators,” Barrett says. “In the new more automated facilities, millers are sitting in control rooms, and they might be watching with cameras, but they’re not going out there and using their own senses as much.”
He also recognizes that one of the challenges facing the industry right now is staffing. With a tight labor market, companies like Ardent Mills are working to create a culture that people want to be a part of.
“I’ve seen more emphasis on work-life balance to attract and retain the best and the brightest,” Barrett says. “The struggles of hiring really opened our eyes as an industry to say that we have to do something to attract people.”
Aside from milling, Barrett’s other passions are his wife and two young sons as well as cheering for the University of Kansas Jayhawks, despite being a KSU graduate, a hoops contradiction born of his attending Jayhawks games as a child with his grandfather.
“Justin is not afraid to be contrary to the crowd, at least in the space of college basketball allegiance. Since many in the industry are KSU fans, his KU allegiance brings him a bit of friendly jesting,” Martin says. “While Justin does travel a lot for his company, he is also a dedicated husband and father and spends weekend doing family activities. Cozad agrees, noting that he’s witnessed Barrett’s dedication to milling and to his family. “He is a servant-leader, and he has a passion for this industry. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Justin put himself before his work. If the call comes in to do something, he’s right there doing it,” Cozad says. “On the personal side, he is the best father to his two young boys. He’s on the road a lot, but when he’s not, he’s with those boys all the time, and a very caring and attentive father.”
Cozad has also watched Barrett grow into one of the most empathetic people he knows by taking advice from his mentors on how to listen to people and approach milling challenges.
“He interacts with everybody, he’s very down to earth and very easy to have a conversation with,” he says. “I’ve seen him in meetings and at the plant; he pauses and listens to what someone has to say.”
Aviles-Martinez is proud to call Barrett a mentor. “I think his dedication and passion for milling is in his blood. You can clearly see the leadership and support he shares with anyone working with him,” he says. “Justin dedicates time to all his mills, to all the people he’s working with and most important, to the young generation of millers coming up. He delivers passion on his job, dedication, ideas, safety and amazing results.”
Barrett says he’s had so many great mentors who pushed him to become a better miller and teacher to the younger generations. He hopes someday others will say the same about him.
“That I took the time to sit with them and discuss milling, and to share all my experiences,” he says. “I hope my legacy would be that I was extremely passionate about milling, I was never afraid to do the right and necessary things, and I was always someone willing to go the extra mile to make an improvement, no matter how much additional work I created for myself,” Barrett says. “And lastly, that I was someone who would always share my knowledge with my peers.”
Published in the 3rd quarter issue of International Miller magazine
