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Bryan Rodibaugh - A Sense of Ownership
by Elaine Hughes
It comes as no surprise that Bryan Rodibaugh has excelled as a leader for the National Junior Swine Association. According to those closest to him, serving in a leadership role is a natural fit for this 21-year-old animal agribusiness student from Purdue University.
“I have always admired Bryan’s ability to form friendships, yet, he also demands the respect of his peers,” his father, Dave says. “Bryan has always had the uncanny ability to go with the flow and persevere in any situation, despite the challenges.”
You can’t help but admire Bryan, fellow NJSA member, Travis Platt says. Platt, 20, first met Rodibaugh at the National Junior Summer Spectacular. When Platt enrolled at Purdue University, a friendship was formed. Platt says, “What I admire most about Bryan is his knowledge of hogs. He is enthusiastic about the swine industry and is always working to get others involved in the NJSA.”
Rodibaugh’s interest in the swine industry developed at a young age. Growing up on a purebred swine farm in Rensselaer, Ind., he has been able to experience firsthand all segments of the swine industry. A 10-year 4-H member, Rodibaugh is quick to name his grandpa as his mentor. Rodibaugh says, “My grandfather, Jack Rodibaugh, is so full of knowledge. He started in this industry with nothing, and built it into a business that would support our family.”
Armed with a strong passion for the purebred swine industry, Rodibaugh knew he wanted to get involved with the NJSA on a larger scale. Encouraged by past board member Daniel Hendrickson, Rodibaugh decided to run for the NJSA Board. It wasn’t until his last year on the board that he realized the significance of his position.
“The nine of us are actually representing more than 4,000 members,” he says. “The decisions we make have a huge impact on the direction our association takes. It is a serious responsibility.”
Rodibaugh admits he has enjoyed the challenges of his leadership role in the NJSA. Rodibaugh says, “The easiest thing has been the communication amongst the board members. The most challenging aspect is dealing with others who are set in their ways and have a hard time thinking outside of the box.”
His advice to future board members is simple. “Fully commit yourself to the position, stay on top of important issues and remain connected with the other members of the board,” he says.
Being able to easily connect with others may be a trait Rodibaugh inherited from his role model, his mother Danita. “It just doesn’t seem like she does much wrong,” he says. His father Dave agrees and adds, “His mom has been a great influence on him. I think he gets his good communication skills and his attitude about life from her.”
Rodibaugh says that being on the NJSA Board has helped him hone his communication skills. Eric Farrand , a representative for Pharmacia, had the opportunity to work with Rodibaugh during the summer of 2002 when Rodibaugh interned with Pharmacia. Rodibaugh’s job was to focus on the producers who had 1,000 sows or less, and talk to them about using Excenel and Lincomix .
“I was amazed by his ability to build a relationship with people,” Farrand says. “From the time he set up visits with customers over the phone, he easily built a rapport with them. He was able to make people comfortable right away, which made talking business with them easy.”
Farrand says Rodibaugh’s extreme passion for the show pig and purebred swine industry has set the direction for his future. “I believe his internship opened his eyes to the possibilities of working with the commercial side of things, perhaps on the pharmaceutical side of the industry.”
Rodibaugh, who will graduate in May 2004, believes his internship with Pharmacia has helped him plan his future. “I really enjoyed working with sales and hope to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical field,” he adds.
Sharing his final thoughts on his term on the NJSA Board, Rodibaugh gives these words of advice, “No matter what you think, there is always someone watching. You always have the opportunity to think twice about the decisions you make and how they will affect others involved. Make sure you are proud of the decisions you make.”
