A lifelong resident of Assumption, Illinois, Courtney Hiler spent almost 15 years as a teacher before becoming a principal in her home school district. At the same time, life at home was getting busier. Courtney and her husband, Brian, a grain farmer and farm manager, are raising three children, George and twins Grace and Gentry, on his family farm.

After more than two decades in education, Courtney was ready for a change.

As the kids got older and the demands of the farm grew, Courtney decided it was time to step away from education. The timing happened to line up with another change close to home: Brad Jansen and Courtney’s sister, Chelbi Alt, were preparing to assume the leadership of AGRI-SEARCH.

The timing aligned and the opportunity presented; Courtney joined the team with a part-time support role.

A year later, she’ll be the first to tell you that her role, her knowledge, and her love for the recruiting business have all grown.

“My role continues to change and expand as I learn more about recruiting and the AGRI-SEARCH business,” Courtney shares. “I love it.”

A Different Kind of Workday

Courtney’s day begins with an AGRI-SEARCH team call where the group shares a daily devotion and prayer before each team member shares their plans for the day.

It’s her favorite part of her day and one of the favorite parts of the company she’s come to call home.

“It’s a good, positive start to your day,” she offers.

Her job, as she describes it, is pretty straightforward, and the flexibility she enjoys in her day has been a big adjustment after spending years in education.

The change of pace has been a welcome one.

Courtney says the AGRI-SEARCH team has given her room to learn an industry that, despite growing up in an agricultural community and marrying into a farm family, she had never worked in professionally. The support, positivity and genuine warmth she feels from the team is encouraging.

“My team members have been supportive and each of them have stepped in to teach me the things I need to know,” she adds, “They’ve been very encouraging for me. They know I’m learning all of this, and I feel like I learn something new every day.”

Rooting for the Candidates

One of the tasks that has quickly risen to the top for Courtney is reviewing the candidate presentations.

“It has surprised me how quickly I have become invested and I have started rooting for the candidates I look over,” she says. “We have really impressive candidates that we put in front of companies, and it’s always so neat to see what other people have accomplished.”

That connection to people, their backgrounds and careers has also given Courtney a new perspective on the work AGRI-SEARCH does every day.

From the inside, she has watched the recruiters work with both companies and candidates, and she believes the relationships behind the placements are what set the team apart.

“AGRI-SEARCH focuses on connecting good people with good people,” she shares. “They’re in it for the right reasons. I get excited for new companies and candidates to get to know my co-workers the way I’ve gotten to know them. This team does everything in their power to make good things happen.”

Growing Into the Role

As Brad and Chelbi continue settling into company leadership and refining processes, Courtney expects more responsibilities will come her way. She’s looking forward to learning more, meeting more people and finding additional ways to support the team.

For someone who spent most of her professional career in a completely different field, the past year has opened the door to something new without taking her too far from the agricultural community she’s always called home. And after getting an inside look at AGRI-SEARCH, Courtney’s assessment of the people she works with is pretty simple.

“What you see is what you get,” she said. “They’re just good people. You don’t get that everywhere.”