Logan Nolting – Industrial Engineer
The summer after his junior year at Iowa State University, Logan Nolting landed an internship with Kent Nutrition Group (KNG), working at the plant in Altoona, Iowa. An industrial engineering major at the time, Nolting says the job not only allowed him to apply his studies in a real-world setting – but also showed him what a company “that really supports its people” looks like.
“I got to know more about KNG, the Kent and Blue Seal brands, and what the company was all about,” Nolting says. “The people really make this a true family business.”
Nolting grew up around feed mills (he is part of the third generation of feed mill operations in his family), so he has always understood day-to-day requirements in that area. When he graduated from ISU and was offered a full-time engineer position at KNG’s plant location in Columbus, Nebraska, Nolting says he knew it would be a great fit. In that role, Nolting helped support the plant’s operations, maintenance projects, cost reduction goals and efficiency strategies.
Now, four years later, Nolting works at the Muscatine headquarters as an Industrial Engineer, where he helps support all of Kent and Blue Seal’s four production facilities – from Nebraska to Vermont – with day-to-day operations, capital budget management, maintenance projects and regulatory oversight.
“What I enjoy about my role is that it’s new every day,” Nolting says. “Different things come up, whether it be a mechanical issue or automation development at a facility . . . something new needs my attention and I enjoy being challenged by it. I operate at my highest level that way.”
One of Nolting’s favorite projects to date was assisting with the startup of KNG’s new production facility in Sheldon, Iowa. The majority of Nolting’s time for more than a year was spent on site to help with logistics of the state-of-the-art feed mill.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind facility and I am proud to have been a part of it,” he says. “The people here, at each location and at each plant – they make the relationships very family-oriented. It’s something you don’t experience very often.”
Logan lives with his wife, Kara, and their 14-month-old daughter, Remie, in Muscatine. When he’s not running, playing the piano or spending time at his family’s lake house, Logan enjoys cheering on his Cyclones throughout the year.