25 Years at Purina: Adam’s Career Milestone
For 25 years, Adam has built a career at Purina rooted in growth, resilience, and a deep commitment to developing others. From his early days on the factory floor to leadership roles across Order Revenue Management (ORM) and Human Resources, Adam’s journey reflects the power of trusting yourself, staying curious, and leaning into opportunities as they evolve. In this Q&A, Adam shares the milestones that shaped his career, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and how Purina’s culture of transparency, feedback, and togetherness has enabled him to grow—both professionally and personally—over more than two decades.
What achievements or milestones during your 25 years with the company are you most proud of, and how have they shaped your career?
The most rewarding achievements in my career will always be the successes that come from helping employees identify, pursue, and achieve their desired career goals. The correct route to crafting a career is not always obvious in an organization as large and diverse as Purina. I really enjoy helping employees simplify and prioritize their strategies.
On a more personal note, I’ve had three significant transitions in my career that I’m proud of. The first being by transition from Site Services as a Plant Maintenance/Laborer to the business as an ORM Associate in 2005. Moving from an internal facing executional role to a customer facing strategic role was not an easy move, but it gave me the foundation needed to continue growing within ORM and the broader Purina organization.
In 2008, I moved from an ORM Analyst role to leading others as an ORM Team Lead, and this change fundamentally altered how I defined success. Enabling results through others is drastically different than managing your individual workload. Enabling others to succeed requires agility, flexibility, creativity, and empathy—and the approach changes with each individual. Leading people taught me more about myself than any other responsibility before or since.
The third transition I’m most proud of was moving from an ORM Team Leader to Human Resources as a Human Resources Business Partner in 2014. I believe my experience in the operational side of the business benefits me greatly in HR. In many cases, I’ve lived what my employees are going through so I can quickly understand their perspective and offer empathy, as well as potential solutions. The transition was exciting because it allowed me to lean into the part of my prior roles I found most rewarding—people development and coaching. I’m proud to be a member of Purina’s HR community, focusing every day on being a strategic partner to the business and a valued resource for Purina’s greatest asset—our people.
What are some key lessons you have learned throughout your career here that you believe could benefit others looking to grow within the company?
Trust yourself. There isn’t always a perfect answer or solution. Do what you believe is fair and “right” based on our core values, culture, and competencies. Always seek input from others and acknowledge them publicly for their impact. Recognition is not finite; there is plenty available for all.
Don’t over-filter yourself. When I started in the organization, I felt the need to fit into a perceived professional mold. It diluted who I was as a person and had the unintended consequence of making me seem uptight or boring. I’m not saying remove the filter entirely. Each of us should always be professional, respectful, and tactful, but remain authentic to who you are.
How have you seen the company evolve over the years, and what aspects of the culture do you think have contributed most to your personal and professional growth?
Over the past 25 years with Purina, I’ve experienced significant changes in the business landscape, including major acquisitions, system migrations, economic downturns, and global challenges. Purina’s agility allowed it to evolve into a better place with each of those occurrences. We became better partners with our Nestlé family of operating companies. We prioritized what really matters both within our portfolio and our teams. We encountered the unprecedented and succeeded.
The most beneficial aspects of our culture for me have been transparency and cross-functional support. We are a culture of feedback. Some of the toughest messages I received were also the same conversations that helped me the most. Processes like Talking Talent (our yearly development conversations) are why someone so early in their career can pursue a college degree while building a career at Purina and gain exposure to multiple cross-functional roles along the way.
As you look ahead, what are your hopes for the future of the company, and how do you see your role continuing to contribute to its success?
I’ve been with Purina longer in life than I haven’t. My father spent multiple decades working for Purina. The checkerboard is truly part of my family. I realize that may sound cheesy to some of my audience, but this organization has enabled me to achieve professional and personal goals I never thought possible. Purina isn’t perfect (no company is), but we know that, we own that, and we’re constantly striving for that perfection as an employer.
I have many hopes for Purina’s future, but mostly I’ll refer to the key lessons the organization already taught me: no matter what we encounter down the road, trust yourself as an organization, seek input on how to improve, and remain true to who you are as a company, employer, and culture.
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