AgroLiquid has a manufacturing and distribution plant in Williams, Iowa. They ship products over a large area, supplying locations from Minnesota to Louisiana. Their biggest products are Pro-Germinator and High NRG-N, but they also work with the full AgroLiquid product line. The team at Williams manufactures most of the goods they ship, and they both supply raw materials and receive finished materials from other AgroLiquid facilities.
- Opened: 2004
- Acres: 29.75
- Staff: 9
Lee Gudith took over as site manager in March of 2023.
“In the simplest terms, I oversee the manufacture and distribution of fertilizer,” he said. “I manage both logistics and production. I have a team of logistics associates who are the customer-facing entity, handling calls and scheduling the loads. The production team in the back is manufacturing, loading trucks, and loading rail cars. It’s a job with a lot of moving parts, so I help make sure everyone has the tools and information needed to do their jobs effectively, efficiently, and safely.”
Flexibility
Gudith didn’t arrive with a fertilizer background, and he was glad to start at the busiest time of the year.
“It was probably the best thing for me to be thrown into the fire, since I was immersed in it and could learn everything fairly quickly,” Gudith said. “The team was great. We currently have three people who have been here longer than I have, and they were all helpful in making suggestions, letting me know if I didn’t have the full picture, and getting me up to speed through that season.”
The Williams team is made up of nine team members, and cross training plays a big role.
“We have the flexibility to move people around to different areas,” he said. “If someone is gone in production, someone can move to containment. Like last week some people were out on vacation and some dry vans came in to deliver raw materials, Dusty Schutt, my supervisor, or I can jump on a forklift and help unload freight. Everyone is happy to jump in and help out. Everything works a lot better if everyone isn’t afraid to jump in there and get your hands dirty.”
Gudith also has a weekly operations meeting with the site managers at the other AgroLiquid plants.
“Not only do we meet, but anything something comes up, the other site managers are great resources for answering questions,” he said.
Improvements
In the summer of 2025, they installed all new production equipment, purchased four new trailers, and made other smaller upgrades.
“Along with the bigger projects, we made small in-house changes that didn’t require a lot of investment,” he said. “This made it easier for everyone to do their job – plus be even more productive.”
For the future, they are planning more facility upgrades, more projects, and recognizing where they have deficiencies and fixing them.
“The sales team does a great job of adding new customers, so we’re always looking for our gallons to grow,” he said.
Culture
At the Williams site, Gudith is appreciative of the atmosphere that makes success possible.
“I’m really proud of not just the projects and equipment, but the culture we’ve built,” he said. “People here enjoy coming to work, they enjoy working together, and everybody is quick to jump in and help – late, early, even on weekends. I think it is a really great place to work with a great group of people.”
Gudith attributed the high morale in the workplace to the AgroLiquid mindset.
“It’s not telling people to do something because I said so,” he said. “Everyone is involved in the input, and everyone has an opportunity to get involved and have a say in what goes on. Because someone can have a vision how something works, but no one knows better than the person actually doing it.”
As a team member, he also knows that a lot goes into doing a good job.
“I recognize that a lot of hard work goes into what we do – day in and day out,” he said. “It’s a gratitude mentality, and I’m thankful for my team.”
