"Every one of these roles throughout my career on the civilian side gave me a certain experience I needed to pursue my journey to run a business.”

Growing up in the suburbs outside St. Paul, Elmar knew early on he wanted to serve in the military. The events of 9/11 at the beginning of his college years nearly shook him off his path, but he stayed the course and finished his undergraduate degree in international business. During his Army career, he deployed twice – once to Bagdad in 2007 during the height of the surge and a second time, 11 years later, to Central Europe in a civil affairs capacity.

Elmar continues to serve in the Army today, transitioning to the Reserves in 2009 where he’s coming up on 19 years of service.

Today, Elmar is on a very intentional path towards gathering the skills necessary to manage a business at the corporate level. From an early yogurt plant manager at General Mills to his current role at Cargill in acidulent production, Elmar’s experiences across agriculture can serve as a road map for those interested in pursuing a similar career.

Have a listen as his military time continues to serve him well in his current role and some fascinating details about citric acid production!