BIGGER THAN US: Maggie Hodson
September 20, 2022
Shipping Coordinator, Maggie Hodson has been recognized as our latest BIGGER THAN US Gamechanger Award recipient. Maggie has a reputation for going above and beyond what is expected of her in and outside of work. “We are a larger business in the community. It’s important to give back and show we care.” She was one of our first employees to show interest in volunteering her time at a company event in July, helping serve 1,000 pork burger meals to the members of her community.
BIGGER THAN US
Maggie was an active member of Moms of Fall, a local group for the Washington Demon’s Football team last year. The group feeds the football team every Thursday night and puts meals together for the boys to eat after their away games. She also assisted in coordinating the Barry Wilson Memorial ride, which raised money for Barry Wilson’s family after he passed suddenly in a tragic car accident. The Barry Wilson Memorial ride is a motorcycle ride with stops at businesses throughout Washington, including Bazooka Farmstar, to honor Barry Wilson, a beloved community member and past Bazooka Farmstar employee.
The BIGGER THAN US core value means that we are more than just the work we do. We make time for family and community. Maggie is a prime example of what it means to live out this core value.
AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAMMATE
Maggie came to Bazooka 5 years ago after working as a farrowing manager and completing further education in Agricultural Production Management, in search of a career that would allow her to spend more time with her family. She started her journey at Bazooka in a Customer Service role. This role required juggling many responsibilities, including customer account management, management of orders, and shipping support. After two years, Maggie was promoted to a full-time Shipping Coordinator position, and again this summer, to the Shipping and Warehouse Team Leader. In her current role, she coordinates all inbound and outbound shipments, is responsible for ensuring her team receives correct and up-to-date customer orders, and notifies the facility of any shortages preventing her team from filling orders. She is a big part of ensuring we meet order deadlines. A nominator admired Maggie for how she took on her new role. “As Maggie earned her new, larger role, she accelerated to a new level of leadership. She takes her job very seriously; mistakes are not an option. Her ability to work with many people is truly exceptional.”
PASSION DRIVES PERFORMANCE
“How you treat your customer matters. Word of mouth travels fast, especially in a small industry like ours. If we keep our customers happy, we will continue growing.” She tells us during her Gamechanger interview. She reiterated that it’s the end-users and their business goals that keep her working hard every day. Maggie deeply understands the sense of urgency that comes with the seasonal business model that we serve. Her co-workers admire her for putting the customer’s needs first and delivering exceptional service time and time again. One nominator said, “Maggie does an outstanding job handling the shipping and receiving departments. She is always going over the top to help our customers get their parts and products in a timely manner.”
Her favorite part about working at Bazooka Farmstar is the fast pace. “Even when it’s slow, it’s not slow. The company is constantly evolving, growing, and moving forward.” Another nominator was impressed by how quickly and efficiently Maggie gets the job done. “On a Monday morning, our operations manager approached Maggie to see if she could book a truck to deliver a part needed to finish an urgent project. She acquired measurements, went to work, booked the truck, and sent the paperwork out by that afternoon. Tuesday morning, the truck arrived, and the project was completed in a timely manner.”
You would be wrong if you thought that Maggie was so busy at work and volunteering in her community, that she couldn’t have a social life as well. She spends most of her free time cooking and baking for her family, camping, going to motorsport races, hunting, and fishing.
Maggie’s passion for hunting and fishing, and her love and admiration for her husband who served two tours overseas (OIF and OEF), and daughter who currently serves in the military (Army National Guard), is why she has chosen HERO Healing at English River Outfitters in Washington, IA, to receive her $100 Gamechanger donation. HERO Healing is a program that provides veterans with an outdoor experience, allowing them to fish, hunt and hike in the woodlands, empowering healing through nature.
ADVICE FROM A GAMECHANGER
Maggie advises anyone hoping to achieve this award to strive to be the best that they can be. “There’s nothing more valuable than your time and easiest to give. So why not spend it giving back to your community.” She leads by example by volunteering her time to people and organizations around her when they need it. She would tell anyone considering applying to a position at Bazooka: “Do it. The sky is the limit here. There is no glass ceiling, they create new jobs to fit employees’ skillsets in alignment with the needs of the company, and they are constantly encouraging their employees to serve in their community.” Excellent advice from the BIGGER THAN US Gamechanger herself.
Congratulations, Maggie!