As our longest serving employee, Patrick Brown has been part of the All West Family for nearly fifty years! Not only does he know our cooperative’s history better than most, he has actually been an important part of it for the past five decades.
Pat began his career at All West, then known as All West Breeders, working as an Assistant Herdsman at the original bull facility in 1972. All West Breeders owned 120 bulls and there were only six employees at the facility who were responsible for directly taking care of the animals. Pat and his fellow team members did all of the work including cleaning the pens, feeding the bulls, collecting semen, and helping process the product for sale. During this time, he not only cared for our sires directly, but also witnessed firsthand how All West Breeders operated and how they joined forces with Select Sires Inc.
Occasionally, people would come to the bull facility to take tours, with the most notable occasion being the opening of their newly built distribution center. Someone decided that they should take several bulls out of their pens to parade around for the visiting crowd outside. Pat had his doubts and sure enough, this did not end how anyone intended. While Pat was leading one of the bulls, Foxlease Explosion, the lead rope snapped off from the bull’s nose ring. Explosion then proceeded to run through the bystanders and chase the visitors around until Pat managed to jump on his head, clip the lead rope back on, and lead him right back into the barn!
When the days of housing bulls in All West Territory came to an end, Pat’s responsibilities were moved to the middle of our production chain – receiving the semen from Select Sires Inc. to then deliver to All West customers. In the role of Warehouse Distribution Manager, Pat has spent many years unpacking Select Sires semen once it arrives from Ohio, filling orders for our Pacific Northwest customers, distributing animal health care and other products, filling nitrogen tanks, and more. In 2005, Paul Brown was hired to assist Pat with his duties and several years ago in 2017, Aaron Brown completed the trio of Washington warehouse employees. Needless to say, the Brown legacy will certainly live on for many more years in our Burlington facility!
We are sure we will be seeing Patrick around the office and warehouse even after he retires on May 31, 2021, as he reminds us that coming to work every day is not only his passion, but one of his favorite hobbies! When he is not visiting All West, Pat hopes to spend time fishing and working around his property. He is most looking forward to the global pandemic restrictions easing so that he can resume his travel plans and spend more time camping.
Patrick will be greatly missed, but we are confident in the abilities of our warehouse staff, who will continue to provide excellent accuracy and service to our valued customers.
Thank you for decades of excellent customer service, dedication, and fellowship, Pat!
Please watch the video above to hear more about Pat from the All West/Select Sires Legacy himself and a very special guest!
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