HyLife Founders Receive 2020 Feed Industry Award

Parts of this article are from a June 18th www.anacan.org release

At the end of 2019, HyLife’s founders, Don Janzen, Denis Vielfaure and Claude Vielfaure made the decision to retire. Their careers may be over but their impact on the industry still remains today. This summer, the 3 of them were recipients of the 2020 Feed Industry Leadership Award presented by the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada (ANAC).

Since 1979, ANAC has presented feed industry leaders with the Golden Award in recognition of their significant contributions to the advancement of poultry and livestock production in Canada. To better reflect the purpose of the award and the changes in the industry, going forward, the award presented by ANAC is now known as the Feed Industry Leadership Award. It is given to industry leaders who, through their work and dedication to the feed industry, have made significant contributions to the aquaculture, poultry and/or livestock sectors in Canada.

Two HyLife Feed Operations colleagues were asked to comment on their time working alongside these 3 men over their careers.

“They were great leaders in the industry that continuously met and exceeded regulations,” said Dennis Kornelsen, HyLife’s Director of Commodity Purchasing. “They also displayed full support for programs like HACCP and empowered their employees to also become leaders,”.

“I appreciated them as industry leaders and for the mentorship & commitment they provided through the years,” said Ron St. Hilaire, HyLife’s Director of Feed Operations.

“I’m very proud of their accomplishments and I’m always proud to say ‘I work for HyLife!’”, added Kornelsen.

Don, Denis and Claude always focused their efforts on building up the community while developing the best possible feed and pork products.

Ensuring the company produces quality feed was always a high priority for the founders and continues to be for HyLife. They led HyLife to become the first members of ANAC manufacturing feed as part of an integrated system to hold FeedAssure® certification. As well, HyLife has been an ANAC member for decades and has always supported industry initiatives, including participating on the ANAC national board.

Without a consistent and high-quality feed supply, HyLife would not be able to ship pork to over 20 countries around the globe and be the leading exporter of Canadian pork into the Japanese market, which is considered to have the highest standard for pork in the world. HyLife’s feed milling capacity stretches over four establishments including Cando (North Dakota), La Broquerie, Randolph, and Killarney, Manitoba. Don, Denis and Claude’s previous leadership in the development of HyLife’s most recent state-of-the-art feed mills in Randolph (2016) and Killarney (2018) have helped HyLife meet and exceed industry feed standards.

The company’s mission statement demonstrates Don, Denis, and Claude’s values: “We Take Care of our Employees, our Customers and our Communities”. Following these values has led HyLife to attain the designation of ‘Canada’s Best Managed Companies – Platinum Status’. HyLife has reached its success by placing priority on understanding their customers’ needs, allowing them to reach new heights in the feed and pork industry. They further showcase these values by priding themselves on being good stewards of the environment through the development of new and more efficient feed mills, a waste water treatment plant, and an environmental team and a firm commitment to ensuring the company not only meets but exceeds industry standards. As Don, Denis, and Claude enter retirement, their legacy of focusing on core values and leading the industry remains rooted in the company’s future.

HyLife wishes Don, Denis, and Claude all the best in retirement.