After nearly 30 years with MFA Oil, Mike Yamnitz is planning to retire on July 9. The Perryville, Mo., and Ste. Genevieve, Mo., plant manager started his career with the company on December 23, 1991, and succeeded Les Johnson as Perryville plant manager on January 1, 1992.
Yamnitz added supervision of the Jackson, Mo. bulk fuel and propane plant to his duties in 2008 and continued to oversee operations at the Jackson office until 2012. Four years later, he picked up management responsibilities for the Ste. Genevieve plant, which he has continued to supervise along with Perryville to this day.
Robert Burlbaugh, director of field training and procedures, worked with Yamnitz for 13 years as his supervisor and district manager. Burlbaugh commends Yamnitz for his long-running dedication to the success of the cooperative.
“Mike prides himself on providing great customer service,” Burlbaugh says. “When I called him to congratulate him on his upcoming retirement, Mike was in the middle of walking some oil across a field to one of his customers. He’s always shown a high level of commitment to meeting the needs of his customers.”
During his time as Yamnitz’s manager, Burlbaugh never lacked feedback from Yamnitz.
“I could always rely on Mike to offer an opinion about something, whether I wanted it or not,” Burlbaugh laughed. “Regardless, his ideas were always based on doing what he thought was right by the customer and good for the company.”
Throughout his decades of service, Yamnitz developed strong ties with his delegates, who routinely turned out in high numbers at both plant-level and companywide events.
Trevor Honeycutt, southeast district manager, says he knew he could count on Yamnitz’s plants being well-represented at delegate meetings.
“I think that speaks to the connections and rapport Mike was able to build with our farmer-members,” Honeycutt says. “We are thankful for Mike’s many contributions to the company, and I’m happy he now has the opportunity to relax and enjoy other aspects of life with his family.”
When Yamnitz applied for his job with the company in 1991, there was a question asking how long he intended to work for MFA Oil. He wrote that he planned to work until his retirement. Yamnitz clearly has met that goal. The company congratulates Yamnitz on this achievement and wishes him well in his retirement.