By Fawad Shah, President/CEO
Growing Pains—Staffing and Training
Because it is unavoidable, ‘change’ is one of the constants in life. Among other things, this may involve learning, adapting, and trying new approaches, all with the aim of providing accurate, timely, and economical service fees.
MCIA is experiencing staff retirements and departures. In addition, we are evaluating technology to streamline our processes while remaining compliant with rules, regulations, and standards. To keep up with the work generated by a growing customer base, our Organic Services department has been steadily adding staff. In addition, we are preparing for the upcoming retirement of key staff members, including the Organic Services manager, by making the necessary transitions to support continuity of operations.
We are currently seeking applicants for the Organic Services manager position. By the time you read this, we will be well into the completion of the recruitment process. The MCIA Board of Directors has consistently supported the overall mission of the organization, including approving competitive compensation for all employees. With additional staff members comes another challenge: providing appropriate internal as well as outsourced training to insure we do not miss a beat with service delivery. MCIA’s Organic Services, under the authority of the USDA’s National Organic Program, participates in all four scopes of organic certification and currently operates in several Midwestern states, making
MCIA one of the leading organic certifiers in the region. The growth in the MCIA Organic Program is driven by the staff’s hard work, diligence, and provision of exemplary customer care. The USDA’s most recent Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rules warrant new policies and procedures as well as proper training and guidance for inspectors and certification specialists to carry out their work in accordance with the new regulations.
MCIA’s Seed Laboratory has filled one vacancy and hired an additional full-time staff person to support the department’s workload and build capacity for additional seed analysis work. Both hires are due to start later in September. Although the new employees bring relevant seed testing experience with them, both in-house as well as external training is an important way to supplement their knowledge and skills, support the lab’s operations, and, in due time, add new services.
Field inspection supervisors keep their knowledge sharp by regularly participating in industry-wide training sessions. The training of part-time inspectors is a yearly ritual. Prior to the start of each inspection season, field supervisors lead training sessions for their seasonal inspectors. Often, many of those inspectors return to MCIA each summer to perform field inspections.
Growth is a good problem to have. MCIA is addressing this challenge by adding qualified and experienced staff and providing them with the necessary training, equipment, and technology to ensure our customers receive high quality services in a timely and cost-effective manner. We thank our members for their patience and understanding as we navigate through the ‘change’ that often comes with ‘growing pains!’