Who are you?
I’m Joel Penhorwood, multimedia communications specialist for Select Sires Inc., based in Plain City, Ohio! I live about an hour northwest of Columbus with my beautiful wife, Katie, and our newborn, Maverick!
How long have you worked with cooperatives?
I’ve been with Select Sires for just under three years but have been involved with agricultural cooperatives my whole life, either as a member myself, or promoting cooperative ideals in media. My previous life as a farm broadcaster found me telling the cooperative story as a part of daily life.
Describe your role.
I am a member of the outstanding Select Sires communications team, involved in internal and external corporate communications and marketing. My role as multimedia specialist means I get to be involved in lots of fun and unique projects, including video and audio development, website creation and management, training creation and dissemination, drone imaging, and quite a bit more!
What do you enjoy about working with cooperatives?
The importance of being member-owned and member-led can’t be understated in my opinion. Straying too far from the direction of the people a group was built to serve is the great danger many companies and organizations constantly battle. I take great pride and comfort in knowing the cooperative I work for exemplifies co-op principles. Being farmer-led and knowing the people I am serving are truly the salt of the earth, is its own motivation to do good work.
When did you join CCA? Why?
The ability to connect with folks who can relate to the rewarding and challenging nature of work offered by cooperatives is imperative. CCA allows me to do that, while also expanding my view and seeing what innovation is going on around the communications world. Since joining about 2 ½ years ago, the value of this group has been clearly evident!
Did anything surprise you about CCA upon joining?
Having grown up in agriculture, the nature of the industry means it’s easy (for me at least) to go through life with the idea that cooperatives are primarily in food and fiber production. Not so! CCA has expanded my view of this, as well as the talents and possibilities offered by other members of the organization.
What are your hobbies and interests?
When I’m not tinkering with multimedia at Select Sires, I usually can be found with a hammer and chisel in my hand. I am a stone carver on the side, specializing in stone lettering. Check out my work at www.treasuredstoneworks.com or on Instagram at @treasuredstoneworks. It’s great fun to toil in such a permanent medium, especially when compared to the fast-paced work of my 9-to-5 job! I also have a love for aviation, all things agriculture, and have even been known to dabble in stand up paddleboarding and sailing.
Do you have a “bucket list”? What are some of the things on that list?
You name it, I want to do it! Some that are higher on the list include…
• Travel to the southern hemisphere and see the southern cross in the night sky
• Visit Rome and see the ancient stone carvings firsthand
• Fly my own plane into the Sedona, AZ airport
• Many more…
Give us something about yourself that is surprising or that most people don’t know.
I’ll give you a couple.
Top Gun is my favorite movie (my son’s name might have given that away), and Adobe Audition (used for audio editing) is my favorite of all the Adobe software!
Email address
I would love to have a conversation with you! Email me at jpenhorwood@selectsires.com or call/text me at (937) 407-6398.
