“People who join CHS tend to remain with CHS for their entire careers.” While many CHS opportunities for recent college graduates are in agronomy sales or as certified energy specialists, the company also offers several trainee programs with hands-on learning opportunities. “Many students at the college and high school level don’t understand everything they could do in agriculture or for an agribusiness company,” says Sprout. “After a presentation, one teacher asked me, ‘How can all this be related to agriculture?’ That knowledge gap presents a unique chance for us to tell our story and talk about how much opportunity there is in agriculture.” Open Openings The future looks bright for those seeking and holding careers in agriculture. A joint study conducted in 2005 by USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and Purdue University projected more than 52,000 openings for new graduates from 2005 to 2010, with only 49,300 qualified graduates available. The study noted the best opportunities for graduates are in sales and marketing, veterinary medical specialties, food safety and biosecurity, precision agriculture technologies, plant and animal genetics, specialty crops production and food system nanotechnology. “Many majors don’t offer defined career paths,” says Wilson. “We’re trying to expose students to the vast opportunities available within agriculture.” For CHS, the challenge of expanding perceptions about careers in agriculture with CHS presents a unique situation. “We’re a bit different in the marketplace because of our diverse operations and our culture. People who join CHS tend to remain with CHS for their entire careers,” says Traub. “People who are successful at CHS are hardworking team players who take great pride in their work.” And there’s room to grow. “We need people who want to move geographically throughout our domestic and international trade territory to where the business opportunities are.” Anwer Hussain Senior vice president, Lubricants, CHS energy EDUCATION: University of Wisconsin–Stout, master’s degree in food science and nutrition 34 Three decades ago, Hussain simply wanted a job. The job market was tight when he applied for a lab chemist position at a CHS lubricants plant. But he eventually landed the interview and the job. “It’s important to understand how the business works, to be able to think broadly and to be comfortable dealing with people.” YEARS WITH CHS: 12 May/June 2010 CHSINC.COM