Jamie grew up in Kenmare, ND, and was in high school when his dad, through his job at the bank, connected Jamie with Jim, a banking client and farmer north of town. This connection turned into four years of mentorship, learning everything there was to know about farming. Through the experience, Jamie regularly had to do business with dealerships in the community, including Gooseneck. While he didn’t love when machinery broke down, it was always exciting to go into Gooseneck. It meant getting to see Kevin and Gary and the other employees who always made Jamie feel important and like he mattered, even while just being a local farmer’s hired hand.
When Jim’s son was old enough to take over Jamie’s position on the farm, Jim put in a good word at Gooseneck and Kevin took a chance on Jamie. During his summer break from college, Jamie stepped into a jack-of-all-trades role, doing everything Kevin needed him to do, from washing and cleaning to setting up, delivering, fixing, and showing others how to operate the equipment. He remembers thinking that the work was something he enjoyed and even though he went back to college after that summer, he knew that working in that industry, and specifically at Gooseneck with Kevin again, was something he wanted to pursue. From there he worked his way up in the company to finally landing his current role as CEO.
Jamie feels most fulfilled when he is helping others, which ties in perfectly with his job at Gooseneck. From helping the employees learn and grow to assisting customers with whatever they need, he loves knowing that he has helped someone achieve their goals. Jamie also enjoys the industry as a whole, the people it attracts, and its powerful purpose of feeding the world.
He sees the people as the biggest strength of the company. In his words, they are what makes it all happen. Gooseneck’s vision is “We care more.” and the employees seem to have a shared passion for taking care of their customers.
Jamie is passionate about all projects he works on at Gooseneck, but a current one he is particularly focused on is the Leadership Development Program, which is all about growing together while developing current and future leaders. He is looking forward to the first class completing this program and launching the next class of leaders. He feels great pride and excitement behind the first class. The accomplishments they’ve achieved and the growth they’ve seen throughout the program have been exciting for him to witness. Employee retention is another project that is important to him. Jamie might be a little biased, but he looks at Gooseneck as a great place to work and would like all employees to stay long-term and be excited to come to work.
While Jamie loves the work he does at Gooseneck, his favorite thing to do is spend time with his family. Hunting and fishing time has now transitioned into weekends at the lake or days spent with his grandson, and he is enjoying every minute of it. Just being with family is what‘s most important to him.
