CEO MONTHLY / CEO OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2023 41 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 12 2023 7 Oct23281 received early on from one of his mentors was to “take as many accounting classes as you can stand and take all the psychology classes that are offered because if you understand the numbers and understand people, you have a great chance at success.” While he is grateful for the mentorship he received, Chad also found that back in the early days of his career, many professionals generally weren’t open to change and improvement. “When I was in my twenties, I was on a very accelerated growth path, but I was hearing people further in their careers blocking things, and they didn’t have good logic for blocking it. It’s almost as if they just didn’t want to do it because of fear of failure or lack of desire or care for the business. They would come up with reasons from the past why it wouldn’t work today or all the things that could go wrong rather than what could go right and the benefits of the change, so I really try to work hard to be growthminded and have people around me or on my team that are that type.” As CEO of Western Milling, Chad welcomes change with open arms, so the company can move forward with the times and ensure it continues to offer only the very best for all its customers, while also preparing and responding as needed for any challenges that arise. He says, “There’s a constant shifting landscape around which products are making money and not making money. We have a rigorous risk management practice around exposure, whether that’s on the supply chain side or the customer. We spend a lot of time gathering information on both of those ends.” “We’re deeply integrated into our customers’ lives,” he goes on to say. “Our salespeople are very active and involved in the community. Many of our salespeople come from that community to begin with, so they were born into it, and then naturally stay in it. Therefore, we have a lot of ties to our customer base that allows us to continue to learn. Then, on the supply chain side, we have a deep experience in that, too. By monitoring both the supply chain and the customer, it allows us to identify when there’s an opportunity in an area, whether that originated positively or negatively, so we can opportunity solve through it.” “I fit my Aquarius sign where it’s a pretty global, eclectic mix in interest and big picture desire – I have a big picture view and desire to explore and move forward without bounds. I enjoy the possibilities and moving on them.” Ultimately, Chad’s ambition and passion really shine through – not only within his CEO role at Western Milling, but he has other business ventures he is highly excited about too, describing himself as a general businessperson, communicator, and multifaceted entrepreneur. “We’re selling a pet food business right now, which should close next month,” he shares. “It’s not part of the company I work for [Western Milling]; I’m an owner in it and was formerly the President of it as well. I have a number of different things I have passion or interest in and invest in things that match those. One example is an interest in a men’s and women’s tuxedo clothing line named Polarity. My significant other is a fashionista and she designs the women’s tuxedos.” He adds, “I love to travel because I think travel creates joy and perspective that lead to creativity. It breaks a person out of the box that they may be in today and gives them another perspective where they can absorb, learn, and grow. It creates ideas because different parts of the world function differently day-to-day and commerce is different, so to observe that and understand creates new possibilities.” Company: Western Milling Contact: Chad Pinter Email: cpinter@ westernmilling.com Website: www.westernmilling. com / www.linkedin.com/in/ chad-pinter-62278a1a7
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