Careers

Employee Spotlight - Al Schultes

HR Al Schultes Employee Testimonial Website 080720 vf

As the head of maintenance for the SoyPlus plant in Ralston, Al Schultes never knows what to expect when he arrives for a day of work - there’s routine maintenance, ordering machine parts and fixing the unexpected breakdowns. But with his determination and hard work, rest assured that the job will get done – and everyone is doing so safely. 

“What surprises me about my job is how we all work together and get everything done with over 500 motors in the plant. Everyone is always glad to help,” said Schultes.

Over 70,000 bushels of soybeans are processed each day at the SoyPlus plant in Ralston, producing 640,00 lbs. of oil and 1,800 tons of soymeal. And when things break down, that production comes to a screeching halt - so it’s up to Schultes and his team to get it up and running. They take apart the motor, clean it, fix it, run it, and put it back together – a task that takes hours to do. 

While these large numbers can seem daunting, Schultes says he has a strong team behind him that successfully keep the plant running with minimal down time. One power outage led to a shutdown 

Schultes says that throughout his 18 years at Landus, his bosses have always pushed him to do his best and succeed, though he never thought he would be where he is today. 

“If you’re involved and a hard worker you will always go up in Landus. There’s always places to excel to,” said Schultes. 

There’s one piece of advice Schultes always finds himself telling others – “Never be afraid to admit if you screw up. Everyone has messed up some time or another and there’s nothing we can’t all fix together”

When Schultes isn’t saving the day with his engineering skills, he’s taking full advantage of his vacation time with his wife, Cheryl. On their last trip, they travelled down to the Great State of Texas to explore the San Antonio River Walk and catch up with friends and family. 

When he retires, he and his wife plan to take their traveling adventures full time, with one destination being New York City.