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Kade Rexwinkel | Director of Corporate Development
How long have you worked for POET?
Seven years
How did you first hear about POET?
I knew that POET took people’s corn. In college, I knew they were a big company, the largest privately held company in the state, and they sponsored some things on campus at the University of South Dakota (USD).
I knew of POET but didn’t know if there was a role that fit me there. I was getting a business degree at USD, and I had an emphasis in marketing, but I didn't really know where it fit. I knew I wanted to do something with people and was thinking something sales-oriented. The people I knew at POET introduced me to a merchandising intern position, which I had no clue what that was at the time. I did my research and gave it a shot, got the position, and never left!
I worked in the distiller’s grains sector for six years; it took me about that long to figure out how intricate that sector was. Now, in my current role, seeing all of our business units, I can see how it’s tough for someone who’s not in the business to appreciate and understand it!
Can you tell me about the path that led you to your career?
I come from the town of Corsica, South Dakota, which has a population of about 600. I didn't grow up on a farm, but agriculture was the main driver of my community. My dad owned a construction company in my hometown, so I poured concrete. Anyone who’s poured concrete before realizes that it really makes you want to go on and get an education.
Several members of my family went to USD, so I knew I wanted to study business there. While there, I found my niche and what I enjoyed, which ended up being interacting with people. That led me to the marketing program. After a few courses, I knew I wanted to be in a sales or business development-type role.
What do you do in your position?
I oversee all of our investor relations activities. I also assist with a lot of the upfront work on business development opportunities that span all business units and things like that. If team members get a random inquiry or someone calls and wants to talk about something, that POET team member usually sends it to me, and I'll have the conversation, and we go from there.
What’s your favorite part about your job?
I've been in this role for over seven months, and I think I've worked with every unit of our business, which is cool. What you find is that we have the smartest people in the world working at every single one of these business units. To have access to the best of the best in the world and be able to ask some questions, my knowledgeability in both the industry and just in general has really grown. I've appreciated that and the relationships I've been able to foster in the short time I've been in this role. It's been my favorite part of working with so many people who are the best at what they do.
What is your greatest career accomplishment here at POET?
I've got to do some really cool things here at POET. I was able to do some business development on POET’s Bioproducts team and some international trading, which was an adventure. But I think the one thing right now in my career, the one thing I would hang my hat on, is that I was given the opportunity to take our pellet and feed division and manage it. We did everything from implementing our marketing strategy all the way through to managing the logistics. We increased sales and revenue, and I learned so much about everything. In such a short period of time, I was able to grow so much from a business sense.
I went from an intern making cold calls to random ranchers and farmers in western South Dakota to see if they’d be interested in pellet mill products to being on the team when the pellet mill was commissioned and built. It was a new market segment we were entering and hadn’t ever participated in before. There was a lot of learning for our team and myself to do, but I think that speaks to the culture we have here at POET. It doesn’t matter who I’m talking to and what questions I’m asking: every person is respectful and happy to engage with others to help them grow.
Tell me about the dynamics with your team and your coworkers.
My direct team is fairly small. However, I consider my team basically the entire business. What's been cool is how I've gotten to connect multiple times and build relationships with so many people over the last seven months in my new role and learn from a multitude of people and departments.
On the investor relations side, it's me and Jenni Hanna, who I will give a specific shout-out to. It's tough to have any bad days in the industry relations department because she always has such a positive attitude. When you’re looking for out for examples of what a POET team member is, that is exactly what Jenni encapsulates!
What’s unique about a career at this company?
If you exemplify that you're willing to work hard and have the capacity to learn, then I think you've got unlimited opportunities here. I've been here seven years. I've done everything from hopping in a pickup truck and cold-calling farmers and ranchers in South Dakota to speaking at business conferences in the Middle East to working on the front end of business development projects across the entire business. I've been able to do that because I've been given the capacity not to have it all figured out, but I’ve been willing to learn. Everyone here is willing to teach me, which I think is very unique and cool.
Tell me a little bit about yourself: what hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
I enjoy being outdoors. In my free time, I like to golf with my family. My family and other families own a cabin on the Missouri River, about 20 minutes from my hometown, so during the summers, we spend a lot of time there.
I also enjoy traveling. I caught the travel bug when I was traveling internationally for work. Domestically, my favorite place has always been Savannah, GA. Internationally, I would say that visiting Barcelona last year with my fiancée was a great trip.
What’s one thing you want to do that you’ve never done before?
People who know me will think this is weird, but I've always wanted to do a Rocky Mountain big game animal hunt or maybe even an African safari! I'm one of those guys who likes to do things to say that I did them.
Professionally, it's tough to look past what I'm doing right now because, like I said, I'm so new, and I'm learning so much every day. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” is the hardest question to answer. I want to love what I do and have been very fortunate to be able to do that in the entire time that I've been a POET. I would have never told you that I would be doing this right now when I was coming out of college, and I would have never told you that I was going to do three or four of the jobs I've done so far.
I think God's got a plan, just like life, is going to take you where it's going to take you, and as long as I'm happy when I'm doing it, I'm good!
