From the Pipeline: Q&A with AMPI's President and CEO, Sheryl Meshke
Name, Title, Organization: Sheryl Meshke, President and CEO, Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI)
Education: Bachelor’s degree in agriculture from South Dakota State University and a master’s degree in business from the University of St. Thomas.
Favorite Quote: “God gives every bird its food, but he doesn't throw it in the nest,” author unknown, from a plaque on my family's kitchen table while growing up.
Describe your career path? More than 30 years ago I was hired as AMPI's communications director. Through the years my responsibilities grew to include positions responsible for strategic planning, human resources and public affairs. In 2015 I was named co-president and CEO, appointed to the solo position in 2023.
What are your key responsibilities? My team and I listen intently to what the dairy farmer-owners of AMPI want. It’s their business. We are simply stewards of the nation’s largest farmer-owned cheese cooperative.
As CEO, my role is to identify priorities and allocate resources for the dairy farmer-owners and employee team to succeed. And in all things, prioritize communication.
What is your connection to farming? Raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm in south central Minnesota, I’m a fifth-generation farmer. My husband Blake and I — along with son Brent, wife Leslie and their family — operate a hog, sheep and crop farm near Lake Crystal, Minn. Another son Derek, wife Tori and their family lives in Brookings, S.D.
What business lessons have you learned that could be applied to farmers? I approach my professional and personal life with a long view. In business terms, that’s a long-term investment with solid returns. The long view eliminates risk emerging from short-term, unfavorable market conditions. Long-term investments aren’t the easiest option. Keeping your eye on the prize, while traversing an ever-changing marketplace, demands discipline and vision.
What is a leadership lesson that you’ve learned in your career? Continue asking questions until you fully understand. At AMPI we continually ask our employee team and member leaders three questions to guide decision making:
- What should we continue doing? In other words, what do we do well and what do our customers want?
- What should we stop doing?
- What trophy do we want on our mantle?
What is your leadership philosophy? A flat-line leadership style, emphasizing participation, capitalizes on individual talents and strengths. Couple that with open-book management, sharing financial information and performance metrics so individuals know how their contributions fit into the business. That approach is a constant reminder that leadership isn’t about one person. It demands a team willing to get their hands dirty while pulling and pushing to get the job done.
What is your biggest challenge as a leader? Each move the AMPI team makes impacts dairy farmers’ livelihoods. Our responsibility is managing their manufacturing assets and selling the resulting products.
I operate with a personal mantra: It’s all dairy farmer dollars. This mantra grows stronger with each year I work for the dairy farmer-owners of AMPI. Though we’re not owners, I often tell my employee team to “run it like you own it.”
