National Junior Swine Association

Meet the Staff
Mindee Pollard, Controller

How many years have you worked for the NSR?

It will be 6 years on May 1.

What is your favorite aspect of your role with the NSR?

Maintaining all levels of fiscal responsibility is my main purpose at the NSR. That can be very tasking at times, however, developing new resources for scholarship opportunities has certainly been the most rewarding part of my career with the NSR.

What is one thing you wish members knew about your job?

The NSR has over 30,000 members and at one time or another during the year they have done some form of financial activity with us. Managing that database, as well as, billing and collecting properly is a huge undertaking. If I don’t specifically know who you are when you submit a question or if we make an error – please be patient. Our pool of potential prospects is huge! Our goal is [ … ]

Meet the Staff
Dr. Doug Newcom, Vice President of Genetics & Technology

How many years have you worked for the NSR?

Almost seven years.

What is your favorite aspect of your role with the NSR?

Serving a diverse clientele that includes showpig breeders, junior members, commercially-oriented members and international members.

What is one thing you wish members knew about your job?

The latest trend in the showpig world or domestic issues aren’t always on the top of my radar. Things like African swine fever, international trade deals and tariffs, and how are we going to expand our NSR brand internationally keep me up at night. The newest issue is Coronavirus COVID-19. It is playing havoc with planning for international promotion and marketing activities.

What is your favorite NSR memory?

Taking my dad to China with me. He’s been twice, but to see the look on his face the first trip was priceless. I had warned him of a [ … ]

Meet the Staff
NSR Vice President of Operations, Ellen Knauth

How many years have you worked for the NSR?                                                                                            

I have been with NSR since July of 2014, so six years.

What is your favorite aspect of your role with the NSR?

I grew up in the swine industry and was able to make a lot of friends from across the country. In my position at NSR, it is fun for me to see those “kids” I grew up with having success at our shows.

What is one thing you wish members knew about your job?

The best part of my job is seeing members succeed and getting to be a part of making that happen. It’s tough to be the bad guy who has to make the rules and enforce them, I really just want everyone to be able to come to our events and have an easy and enjoyable time!

What is your favorite NSR [ … ]

Meet the Staff
NSR Chief Executive Officer, Clay Zwilling

How many years have you worked for the NSR?

Three

What is your favorite aspect of your role with the NSR?

Working with our membership to navigate and overcome industry challenges and to enhance the goals of their operations.

What is one thing you wish members knew about your job?

Every day is different, and making challenging decisions can be difficult, but we are here to represent the membership. If members ever have questions, ideas, or concerns, they should feel comfortable reaching out to the staff and myself. It is always better to have accurate information and perspectives. And we are here to listen.

What is your favorite NSR memory?

Last year was the first year we did a “retiring ceremony” for the Junior Board. The staff took total ownership in the making it special and watching the Junior Board retire and seeing the young NJSA members in the crowd [ … ]