A Reflective Conversation with Brian Rittgers

Written by: Sarah Novak   |   December 7, 2022

Similar to a blog I did earlier this year with Bill Barr, I spoke with another titan of the industry – Brian Rittgers. Brian has served as the president and general manager of Micronutrients for the past several years, and prior to that, he had a very long stint with Elanco Animal Health. I really got to know Brian when he served as chair of the AFIA Board of Directors in 2009-10. Below is our conversation. 

Q: As you are nearing retirement, what is your favorite accomplishment of your career?  

Rittgers: This great industry, for me, has always been about the people. The accomplishments I look back on with the greatest satisfaction are the people I have had the good fortune to work with, mentor or coach and see become highly successful. I have always gotten the most satisfaction out of seeing people grow and develop, despite obstacles, and become leaders of influence in their own right. 

Q: Throughout your career, you focused on coaching the next generation of leaders. With more and more people coming from nontraditional agricultural backgrounds, what advice would you give their managers? What would you tell the individuals?  

Rittgers: The first thing I would say is that growing and developing people from nontraditional backgrounds (such as someone who grew up in a city) will have to be more the norm than the exception in the future. Demographics and industry consolidation in all segments of animal agriculture have driven the sheer numbers of people we would deem ‘traditional’ (i.e. someone raised on a farm) down significantly from when I entered the industry over 40 years ago. So many of the people coming from nontraditional backgrounds definitely are highly talented and motivated. This is a good thing! 

What is on US is that we must give nontraditional employees the experiences to expose them to animal agriculture in the segments that they are working in. They also need to have patient coaches and mentors that can spend the time with them, helping them to gain the capabilities and knowledge of these industries. 

To be sure, what is on THEM is to make the commitment to learn and experience the segments they choose to work in. The pairing of their innate talents and the experiences and coaching from experienced leaders in our industry, I believe, is the best approach to ensure we have a strong pipeline of people to lead our industry into the future.  

Q: What is the single most important trait you have seen in people who are or become great leaders?  

Rittgers: I believe it was Teddy Roosevelt who first said, “People don’t care what you know until they know you care.” I have observed so many great leaders in this industry who demonstrate a deep sense of caring, not just for people, but also caring for the causes, issues and needed outcomes that are so critical for us to continue to be successful as an industry in the future. Combining the caring attitude with a strong commitment to doing and delivering truly makes great leaders. 

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge that our industry will face in the future?  

Rittgers: Related to what I have mentioned earlier, I think we will only be as strong as the people who make up the industry. Finding, developing, motivating people in all segments will be critical. This will be the biggest challenge, in my opinion, but not far behind would be the ongoing globalization of agriculture and the increasing influence of the consumer. How these issues are managed will also be challenging.  

Q: What is the first thing you are going to do once you are fully retired?  

Rittgers: After 43 years in the industry, the first thing I may try to do is make myself bored! Spending more time with my family, who were always very understanding of all my work-related travel over the years, will also be a priority as well as getting really good at the grandparenting business!!