Mike Helgeson

DIRECTOR

Mike Helgeson, chief executive officer of Gold’n Plump Poultry, continues the tradition of business success started by his grandfather more than 82 years ago. Founded as a small hatchery selling day-old chicks to Minnesota farmers, the company has grown under the leadership of Helgeson’s father, Don, and now Mike, since assuming the role of CEO in January 1993.

Interested in the family business since age 14, He has experienced nearly every facet of the vertically integrated poultry operation. Helgeson earned a B.S. in business from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., and an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas’s Kotz Graduate School of Management. He believes the key to his success has been his hands-on experience: he says, “Nothing is a replacement for rolling up your sleeves and doing the work.’

Gold’n Plump Poultry is a three-generation company and the largest producer of fresh and frozen chicken products for retail, food service and deli in the upper Midwest. It employs 1,500 people and partners with 300 local family farmers throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. Although the company’s primary distribution area is the Midwest, it expands nationally to 41 states. Goldn’ Plump provides differentiation through a commitment to quality, innovation and lean practices. While “people first” is key, a primary focus for the company is using automation to provide consistently premium-branded products, a safe work environment and reduced labor costs.