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History/ ContactsHistoryWhich came first, the chicken or the egg? The ChickenAfter being laid off from a Prince Albert box factory in the 1930’s, hobby chicken farmer Walter Harman decided to turn his passion into a full time job. He expanded his operation to approximately 2000 laying hens, and began producing eggs for local residents. In 1965, Walter's son, Bert joined him and created Harman Poultry Farm Ltd. Another expansion ensued and 7000 birds were placed in a mechanized production unit. Grading expanded to include 5,000 boxes of eggs per year and distribution continued throughout Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan. The seventies saw two more expansions resulting in a total of 35,000 laying hens and 15,000 replacement pullets being housed in Prince Albert. In 2000, a new state of the art layer housing unit was constructed, simplifying the management requirements. The 6 tier Hellman cage system was the first of its kind in Canada. In 2002 another expansion came when Bert purchased a production facility housing 42,000 laying hens in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. Then in late 2003, an additional 55,000 laying hens were purchased in Steinbach, Manitoba and were transferred to a state of the art production facility in December of 2004. The EggIn 1978, Bert saw an opportunity to expand into the wholesale industry marketing table eggs, and purchased Star Egg Co. Ltd. All grading functions were transferred from Prince Albert to Star Egg and approximately 4000 boxes per week were produced for distribution throughout Saskatoon and Northern Saskatchewan. In 1987, one of the few computer driven grading machines in Canada, the Diamond 8300, was installed at Star Egg. This allowed the company to increase daily throughput as well as significantly improve the quality of the product reaching retail customers. Over the years, Star Egg Co. Ltd. has taken advantage of advances in egg grading technology by installing crack and blood detection equipment, improved storage temperature control equipment, as well as re-designed loading, washing and packing equipment. In the fall of 2008, the company improved and expanded its grading, and warehousing capabilities by relocating all activities to a beautifully renovated 41,000 square foot facility in Saskatoon. In the spring of 2009, the company’s commitment to excellence will continue with the installation of an automated dirt detection system. Today, eggs from the Humboldt and Prince Albert locations as well as many other production sites across the province are trucked to Star Egg Company for grading. Over 1 million eggs are graded per day. These eggs are distributed throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northern B.C., and into the Northern West Territories while surplus eggs are shipped into Manitoba. Between Star Egg Company Ltd. and Harman Poultry Farms Ltd. there are currently 50 people employed, including Bert’s son Shawn and daughter Dana Haynes. Bios and Contact InformationSTAR EGG COMPANY LTD. MANAGEMENT TEAMBert Harman Bert Harman has been involved in the Saskatchewan egg industry for over 35 years. He has assumed leadership roles within both the Saskatchewan and Canadian egg organizations. He currently serves as Chairman of the Saskatchewan Egg Producers Marketing Board, and has served as a director on the Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) several times. Bert continues to be an innovator and a leader in the Canadian and Saskatchewan table egg industries. Dana Haynes Dana worked on the family farm in Prince Albert as a youth and then worked in the plant as a teenager. In 1997 she accepted a position as Office Manager and now oversees all financial and administrative functions for Star Egg Company Ltd. and Harman Poultry Farms Ltd. Dana also recently took over management of all Human Resource activities within the plant including recruitment, training, compensation and policy analysis. Dana brings with her a wealth of experience and an obvious commitment to this family owned and operated business. Shawn Harman Similar to Bert’s daughter Dana, Shawn worked on the family farm and in the grading station before being promoted to manager of the Humboldt laying farm operation. In his spare time, Shawn has been working towards a degree in Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan, applying his knowledge to the management side of Star Egg Co. Arnold Fehr Joining Star Egg with over 20 years experience in the dairy business, Arnold worked as route salesman for 3 years until his promotion in May, 2006 to Account Representative. Arnold is responsible for the setup and maintenance of customer accounts within the Saskatchewan territory and is dedicated to getting you the right product for your business. Pat de Jong Recently promoted to the Plant Manager position, Pat has been employed with Star Egg Company for 10 years and brings 15 years of egg grading experience. As Plant Manager, Pat oversees all plant order filling operations including the ordering, fabrication and installation of all machine parts as well as all mechanical repairs. Kirk Miller, B.Sc. A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, Kirk is the newest member on the Star Egg team, joining in January of 2010. Kirk brings with him over 15 years of experience in quality control and food safety. Kirk oversees all product produced in our facility is of the highest quality as well as administers our food safety program by working with both the management team and employees of Star Egg Co. through educating, training and maintaining all policies and procedures. Additional Star Egg contacts:
HARMAN POULTRY FARMS LTD. MANAGEMENT TEAMDarren Wiens Darren Wiens joined Star Egg in April of 2005 and brings with him more than 20 years of experience in pullet and egg production. Darren has worked in many areas of the poultry industry including pullet and layer farm management, broiler production, poultry nutrition research as well as production facility construction and maintenance. Jason Labelle Recently appointed as Manager of the Prince Albert farm in the fall of 2008, Jason brings with him nearly ten years experience from the grading and marketing side of the business. A key member of the Star Egg team Jason worked in all departments. At the time of his promotion he was responsible for order picking and graded inventory management. Peter KehlerSteinbach Farm Manager Peter brought 25 years of experience managing the Sunnydale Egg Farm laying facility before the operation was purchased by Harman Poultry Farms Ltd. in 2003. As a company, we are committed to becoming a leader in the shell egg industry and believe we have the vision and people to reach our goals! |
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